Star Trek M5
by JovianJeff
Summary: This is initially a ST/Bolo crossover. The AIs, the M5s, of this work of fiction are based on the works of Keith Laumer and the Star trek TOS episode 'Ultimate Computer.' Later chapters include xovers with Babylon 5 and Farscape.
1. Defiant

Star Trek: M5 Defiant

This is a 'quasi' cross over with Bolo. The AIs, the M5s, of this work of fiction are based on the works of Keith Laumer and the Star trek TOS episode 'Ultimate Computer.'

Usual disclaimer, I don't own either properties, nor am I making any money on this.

It is a re-write of the first version I posted as a one-shot story. This is intended to be a series of chapters instead of that single one written. It is different enough that instead of continuing that one-shot I am restarting it under its own heading.

**History, 2268-2370**

In this AU history took a different turn, perhaps due to the temporal cold war. Where Richard Daystrom decided to not go it alone with his new Multitronics project, instead he included an A7 classification expert with computers, Spock.

Working sometimes via subspace correspondence, Daystrom grew to respect Spock and to trust him, not seeing him as yet another person wishing to become famous based off of his work. Because this he was able to temper the M5 project in another manner.

They both agreed a human's engrams might be too unstable for multitronics after the four failures, which is when Spock suggested using a Vulcan's. Daystrom would trust no other Vulcan than Spock.

So when the M5 was both unveiled on the Enterprise, it wasn't an unstable mirror of its primary creator, but one who came to sentience realizing its role as a helper, a tool, an assistant to mankind instead of its supplanter.

In this timeline the war games went smoothly, the robot cargo ship never was attacked and both the Romulans and Klingons were terrified at the new 'weapon' their intelligence services reported back to them. They couldn't match the M5, they were afraid to. So that year of the M5's creation, 2268, the same year the Enterprise was involved with stealing a Romulan Cloaking device, the Romulans, Klingons and Tholians forced a meeting on Earth where they demanded the M5 be shelved.

In concessions the Romulans allowed for Federation cloaking technology development, but only for one ship, in this case the Enterprise. For deterrence Starfleet added only one ship will field an M5 and that would be the Enterprise, and so the M5 Accords were ratified.

So over the years Enterprise, Enterprise-B (there was no A as the original wasn't destroyed), C and D were the ships to carry an M5 and the latest in cloaking technology. Enterprise-B saw the development of a cloak one could fire and remain cloaked, while Enterprise-D saw the introduction of the interphase cloak.

**Today, 2371**

Elizabeth Paula Shelby saw how effective the M5 had been against the Borg and had, along with Benjamin Sisko, ran simulations before pushing to get the M5 used as an anti-Borg weapon system. Under the Borg Operations Logic Opponent initiative, she established the Defiant class ships would be run by the M5.

Frankenstein complex born fears of sentient AIs were brushed aside as she often did with others in her way, particularly in the wake of the fleet loses at Wolf 359. Indeed those fears had been on the decline since Kirk's time. When the Enterprise-C saved Narendra III, the Klingons found out the M5 fought long past where most of its crew had died given the last directive by its commander.

Its final words summed up the Klingons feelings as it rushed and crippled the Romulan fleet.

"For the Honor of the Federation!"

So while the Klingons wouldn't rescind the M5 Accords, they were less insistent about them.

Since the Romulans had been attacked by the Borg in the Neutral zone, the Klingons having fought them at Wolf 359, when Shelby asked for a ratification of the M5 Accords, both parties were very open to the idea and the Defiant BOLO initiative was approved for production.

With the Defiants a new approach, a different set up was needed. One where the ship only needed a Commander, and Engineering team to fix and maintain this class of ship. Sciences, Medical and Security would be support services, with the latter only for internal or ground/boarding operations nearly reviving the MACOs in structure.

Just as the M5 had in 2268, the Defiant proved very successful in the war games Sisko and Shelby had arranged for it. Twelve Defiant class ships were intended for this first year, with more planned depending on actual confrontation experience with the Borg.

When the production model Defiant launched for its journey to Deep Space Nine, it did not launch alone.

"Commander's log 2371, Commander Benjamin Sisko recording. En route to DS9 with the Gallant and Valiant. Tomed was pulled from deployment at DS9 at the last minute so the first four Defiant class ships will not operate as a task force as planned," Ben spared a moment thinking of Subcommander T'Rul.

Although the Romulans did ratify the Accords, it was with the stipulation one of their number would command one. It had the potential to be a Security nightmare, but as with the original M5, it is a nightmare the Bolos will have to deal with. Ben was glad that was Shelby's problem not his.

Ben didn't think he would have a problem with the Klingons getting their compromise. It was perhaps an early promotion, but the appointment of Commander Worf from the Enterprise did placate them with his taking command of the Valiant.

"So far the Bolos, as we tend to call the mass-produced M5s, have performed admirably," he smiled thinking of his next sentence, "And they are still scaring friend and foe alike. No-one believes it will scare the Borg, but what really counts is if they are effective against them."

"Centuries ago, Professor Isaac Asimov coined the term, Frankenstein complex, at the time it was just the fear of robots, but over time was extended to the fear of artificial intelligences," Ben knew in truth robot or AI were typically interchangeable, but he was addressing history with this log, so an extended explanation would be appreciated by some.

"This made the selection of crews difficult where it has been mainly based on psychological factors. Specifically those who wouldn't be afraid of a Bolo. Being Klingon, I doubt Commander Worf would admit to any fear, and I don't really know Commander Chakotay all that well, but I'm told the Gallant will be in good hands with him. What's important is that these two and T'Rul can command without fear of what they are commanding."

Standing up he paced what would have been the bridge before the M5 modifications to a command deck, or center as it was listed on the blueprints. "It will take time to get the training right for command of a Defiant class. The approach is far different than on the bridge of any other starship, and yet the same. He or she must provide general direction, isolating the objective, or objectives, for their ship, willing to adjust and prioritize that objective as needed. What they shouldn't do is specify how. Bolo command is not for the micromanager."

"Aptly put Commander," the voice of the Bolo spoke up around Ben, "It will be difficult, but the partnership will worth it."

"I know D. I still have to restrain the impulse to micromanage, or what would be micromanaging to you, regarding what commands to give during a battle." D noted that both human commanders and crew tended to address with diminutives. So far Commander Worf has not, nor allowed his crew to do so in his presence.

"Commander, we are receiving a distress call," D's tone had a subtle change, one where he clearly meant business as oppose to one where he sounded conversational.

Ben noted D said 'we,' meaning one of the Bolos picked the distress call up and shared it over the subspace Total Systems Data-Sharing the Bolos networked with each other.

"Inform the other Commanders and tell them to match our course, D. Take us there," Ben might have liked telling them himself, but this was quicker and right now he didn't feel like talking much to the other two.

Ben wasn't use to Klingons yet, and Chakotay seemed a bit too smug with how the Cardassians had to back down during the recent talks about territory. It looked at first the Federation intended to cede colonies over, then a group of officers, that Chakotay had been numbered among, let slip historical records of the M5, hinting what a Federation committed to war would be like.

With his familiarity with the history of M5, Chakotay made a perfect choice to train to command one. Ben just wasn't sure if the smugness was confined to Cardassians or not. If not then there would be problems down the road. However if Ben had to make a judgment, he'd say it was confined only to the Cardassians.

"Preliminary analysis of subspace activity would suggest a transwarp conduit therefore possible Borg presence," D shared upon approach as the Gallant and Valiant did Chakotay and Worf.

"Sound Red alert, and let's go in cloaked. Pass it on D," Ben decided, and all three ships cloaked as one.

It felt lonely here on the command deck. On any other class of starship a bridge would have people around him, now it was mainly monitors to show him status and give him an idea of the battlefield, a plot like a general or admiral would work off of.

Just as on any other class of starship he depended on his crew to follow his orders, yet on this class of starship those orders would not concern the fighting, just the fixing. Here any order regarding the fight would be instantly followed.

If the war games were any representation of reality, sometimes his orders would be anticipated.

He looked around once more. Up on those viewers the TSDS consolidated the sensor readings of all three ships, the computing power of three M5s, all of whom came to the conclusion this was a Borg cube and was headed towards Bajorian space.

Ben wanted to curse, the Bolo program was for their ships to be part of a fleet, not take on a cube by themselves, but that same cube was heading towards Bajor and he couldn't just let it go. Especially since in more than a few simulations the Defiants won. He could only hope they could match the reality of those war games.

Now he found himself wishing the Tomed was with them, even with its Romulan commander.

"Get me the Commanders, D. Split screen."

Both Worf and Chakotay looked back at him, the former eager, the latter trying to swallow the look of discomfort he had to be feeling.

"We've seen the data too Ben, and we know the odds," Chakotay said trying a self-deprecating smile and easing Ben's mind about any concerns of smugness. Ben could see that this was just a very confident man as Chakotay continued on to say, "Pretty good ones too if the sims are to be believed."

"If not it is a good day to die," both Commanders had expected Worf to say that.

A chime sounded, all three knew what it meant, but it was Ben's place to address it. "Go ahead D." He knew it was a sitrep update as they approached the cube.

"Source of distress call, one Galor class, the Vetar of the Sixth Order, commanded by Gul Evek. Debris suggests two other Galor class ships had been involved in a battle, presumably with the cube. Amount of debris and scattered subspace readings also suggest they departed. Possibly the Vetar was covering them from their current hit and run stratagem."

"They are good at running," Chakotay uttered and Ben let it go. He had his own demons to fight, right now it was hard enough to look at the Borg cube and not think about Jennifer.

She was lost to him at Wolf 359, because of the Borg, because of Locutus. One day he'll forgive Picard, but not today.

Today it was time to focus on the here and now, instead of what happened when.

"You know the drill then, let the Bolos fight it, we provide strategic direction. D, Gallie, and Val you have a go, begin your attack run. Good luck gentlemen," he added to the Commanders, catching, Chakotay's sally to his fellow commanders, "To us all."

Ben found it surprisingly easy to sate his demons as watched phaser fire rippled form the Defiants into the Borg cube. It was a perfect synchronization that he imagined caught the Borg completely off guard as they fired while cloaked. A salvo that damaged the far larger vessels as the small craft rained volleys of phaser cannon fire into it.

Then the Defiants dropped cloak simultaneously to devote full power to their weapons.

Perhaps Chakotay was alone in paying attention to the single Cardassian ship as it moved out of range. Not that anyone who faced the Borg would begrudge a ship commander such a decision as a new source of aggressors drew the Borg away from a wounded ship and its beleaguered crew. He wondered what was going on over there, who had survived what had to be a losing battle, or had the Borg boarded that ship by this point, leaving them to fight a two sided battle, one within and one without.

Fighting was still going on in some parts of that Cardassian ship. Its commander was thinking that a commendation would be in order for his first officer, Glinn Telak. His suggestion of using the replicators to produce bayonets to attack the Borg physically was actually holding them off while keeping them just out of assimilation distance, -when- the bayonets were handled well.

Now it looked as if Gul Aman Evek would have the Federation to thank for his crew and ship's salvation.

Then he saw what was happening and terror grip his heart.

He had been one of those from High Command to have seen the footage of the M5 war game with the Constitution class. He had read reports from the Obsidian Order confirming Starfleet had been developing modern models. It was said that the Enterprise's M5, along with its android Data, had hacked into the Cube's network, its local Collective itself, and crashed its systems.

Information such as this were one of the main reasons the Union backed off on the talks concerning territory ending a conflict that went back to 2347.

If the reports were to be believed, right now he was a witness of the result of those developments the Obsidian Order reported. It confirmed what he recommended, that these were a people his must not go to war against.

Aman had his motivations, he has but one more son, and did not wish to loose him. He was also a patriot and knew his people would not fare well against such a technology. What he saw now vindicated him against the criticisms others had given about his recommendations.

What the Vetar was recording would show he had not grown soft or fearful, but smart.

Gul Evek, the Vetar and its crew were not the last things on Ben's mind as he watched the battle unfold, but they were hardly a priority. The Borg clearly were and it was with great satisfaction as he saw the culmination of the project he had been apart of since his posting at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards after Wolf 359.

This is where it seemed Shelby's observation was paying off. She had watched the M5 in action on the Enterprise and noticed that while preset rotations could be anticipated, and that real-time adjustments at what approached picosecond, or even femtosecond speeds, the Borg couldn't hope to match.

An observation that was noted by the watching Cardassians, even as they slowly retreated.

Aman was proud of his crew, staying disciplined in the face of the Borg, still analyzing data as the battle raged on. They let him know that the Federation ships were adjusting their phaser frequencies far faster than the Borg could adapt to them. They couldn't tell them why, but he could guess. It was simply that the organic minds of the Collective were a hindrance to keep up with the inorganic minds of the M5s. They were thinking faster than the Collective.

Back on the Defiant, Ben thought that in a way with TSDS, the Bolos were their own Collective. An appellation that wouldn't have been brought up at any tactical meeting back at Starfleet, but it was both true and working.

As the fight continued, the Bolos were learning where to fire, how much to take down a system, estimations of where the Borg were shifting command and control functions from this sector of the cube to that one. The M5s were operated as science officers analyzing data, engineers estimating the technological capabilities and of course, war machines to make use of all of their conclusions at Faster-than-light speeds with subspace processors.

Its what the Borg also had, just the Bolos were not suffering from limitations of the flesh, as the poet in Evek would have put it.

Ben knew differently as there were limitations of the flesh that directly affected his ship and crew, ones the Bolos were quite aware of.

Inertia compensators were maxed to the limit, and more than one crewmember found the ancient wisdom of seatbelts a wise choice to make.

This wasn't a bloodless battle, despite how the Defiants dodged and weaved, in some cases anticipating where the Borg were going to fire, hits happened and the ships shook with impacts from the cube's greater firepower. Yet not a single tractor beam could lock on, nor could a single drone beam onboard with the shield frequencies shifting as fast as the phasers were.

"We need to throw more confusion into this, give them less to predict us and adapt to," Ben said to D as he thought out loud, "Am I correct in assuming that the three of you have a finer control of the cloaks?"

"Yes, Commander," D promptly replied curious as to where his Commander was going with his reasoning.

"In 2266, the Romulans attacked the outpost along the Neutral zone..." Ben began and D realized where he was going.

Sometimes it was all at once, sometimes they timed it so it was one-by-one. Gul Evek watched as the Defiants began to on the move fire-cloak-fire pattern, approaching from different vectors, sometimes firing while still cloaked.

Aman had drilled the Sixth Order to be ready in case Romulans or even Klingons tried something like this. However only in the extreme simulations was this kind of cloak-attack-recloak stratagem worked so quickly and no-one thought anyone should be able to switch so quickly outside of a simulation.

Ben noticed that the cloak actually slowed down the onslaught of damage inflicted on the cube as it was spaced out, randomized so that the Defiants could keep up the pressure of constant fire and not leave the Borg time to regenerate damage inflicted upon their cube.

He fought an inner battle then, one where he wanted to order the Defiants to cease using the cloak and resume the bombardment they had been inflicting earlier. They were maximize their firepower, so he held his tongue. He knew deep down inside himself that he wanted to resume constant barrage to make them burn faster for Jennifer.

On the Gallant Chakotay could imagine cheers when he saw a corner of the cube blown off from all the hits it was taking. He knew he pumped his fist at the evidence of damage. Another section crumbled under the assault of the three vessel's four phaser cannons, and another caving in with a perfect 'bombing' run of four torpedo launchers each.

Evek heard cheering around him on the bridge of the Vetar and could imagine it coming from any crewmember watching a viewscreen on the decks below. Aman wore a wide smile on his face as he saw the carnage wrought on the Borg. It helped to hear that the drones onboard were being wiped out.

Perhaps his crew will live to see the star of home once more. Indeed if all worked well repairs may be finished in time to join the Federation ships attacking their mutual foe. While the Borg cube was dying, it did not die fast enough for anyone's satisfaction.

Worf noted the Bolos did not use the torpedoes at first when they engaged the Borg and was about to command Valiant, never Val, to do so when he saw the wisdom in holding his tongue. The machines knew when to wait to use the photons when a section was crippled enough so adaptation or shielding was unlikely. Waiting until their attacks caused a lack of shield emitters was particularly telling.

In fact thinking of the photons gave him an idea and he gave a series of orders to his ship.

"He's insane!" Ben found himself saying out loud on the bridge of the Defiant, and D concluded now would not be the time to bring up that Commander Worf's psychological profile indicated he was quite mentally stable. Besides, in TSDS, D knew what the Valiant was doing and all three approved.

Chakotay was speechless as he watched the Valiant dive into a ship-sized hole in the cube.

"Their AI's are reckless!" Evek heard one of his crew judge as he saw what one Defiant was doing mistaking it as a decision the M5 made instead of a stratagem ordered carried out. At best he consoled himself that it would be one less of the things the Federation would have to use against their enemies, he left out even mentally, against his people.

Even among his fears and concerns, he did spare a thought, a hope that the crew beamed to the other ships. He had contemplated a suicide run during his battle with the Borg, but he wouldn't have ordered it unless it was the final option. Clearly the Federation was holding its own, so why do this?

"Registering internal explosions," Gallie informed Chakotay to calm him down. He suspected his Commander already guessed what the Valiant was doing and thought reports of the Valiant's success would alleviate the stress evident in his life signs.

Worf's crew wasn't looking. They paid attention to system readouts, torpedo loads, shield and structural integrity, everything -but- where the Valiant was going and how fast it was approaching the other side of the cube as it sowed seeds of destruction in the unshielded interior of the Borg vessel.

Worf was looking while the Valiant went -through- structures as the M5 timed uses of the interphase cloak during its short trek through the Cube's interior.

"By the Prophets..." Ro Laren whispered as she watched her ship approached what looked like a solid wall of Borg conduits, the phaser cannons redlining with how rapidly they were firing.

To her eyes it didn't look as if the M5 was going to engage the phase cloak in time.

It was quite a different mood and view down in Definat's main engineering that prompted Chief Miles O'Brian to lead the cheer as he watched a fireball erupted out the other side of the cube and the Valiant charged out of it. He could imagine Worf's roar of triumph. He was also very, very relieved.

Because more than a few Enterprise people were tapped, Captain Picard had called poached, for the Defiant crews. Deanna, Sonya, Ro and Lal were on the Valiant and didn't want to think of them going out that way.

Data would probably take Lal's passing dispassionately, but Lore wouldn't. Dr. Soong would likely not take the loss of his 'Granddaughter' lightly.

At that moment, the focus of his thoughts on the Valiant was needlessly going over the engineering systems.

Lal knew the Valiant would tell her what problems would come up, she was doing, as her father would say, 'going through the motion,' for the sake of those around her. In her quest to help keep the crew calm she considered the notion that a humorous platitude should be interjected. Her Uncle Lore often resorted to such with mixed results.

Her delivery, it turned out, was more like her father's than her uncle's, deadpan and dry as she quipped, "If you feel the need to panic, now is a good time to do so."

Sonya Gomez was the first to start laughing, partly from Lal's attempt at humor and partly the need to release the tension that harrowing journey -through- the Borg cube ladled upon her.

"Alright people, lets get back to work," Laren urged with an edge of authority in her voice that didn't match the pips on her collar. Still they got back to work, much to Sonya's relief. After that trip, Val, as she did call the Valient's Bolo out of Worf's hearing, could use some labor of love.

"Typically Klingon," escaped B'Elanna's lips as she monitored systems and fixed what damage the ship took from hits the Borg landed occasionally. The Chief Engineer of the Gallant didn't let any other words escape her lips. Yet it turned out the two words were enough to garner her unwanted attention.

"D-d-did you say something, Lieutenant?" she heard Reg stammer nearby.

"Nothing, Reg, just...carry on," the man named Reginald Endicott Barclay III heard the terrifying B'Elanna Torres not snap, nor snarl, but speak almost kindly towards him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea to volunteer after all. Though he didn't end up on the same ship as Deanna had.

"You know you just scared your crew nearly to death," Deanna informed Worf who sat on a bridge that was the one with a slight difference from the other two Defiants by having a station for her at along with its Commander.

It might have been suggested that she be the mediating voice to the aggressive, as if there was any other kind, Klingon.

It might be to placate the fact the Tomed had such an arrangement for the Federation advisor to the Romulan Subcommander.

It might officially be to continue her study and new doctorate of AI psychology and counseling. One justified as she really could sense the emotions of the Bolos, as she had the Enterprise's M5.

Right now Val, as she also thought of the AI, was feeling satisfied, content performing as expected. It was actually better than expected, but Deanna discerned a sense of humility that was honest as Val held didn't use the scale his crew did to measure himself, but one the Bolos held themselves to.

In the future, even Defiant may have a counselor for the Bolo as well, for the present, this one listened to the Klingon sharing the command deck with her.

"What does not kill them make will make them stronger," Worf replied to Deanna with a look that she now knew as intending to be humor for him. It was something he needed to work on, if she hadn't sensed the intent, she certainly could not have discerned it from his face or voice. Many could not have told that Worf was in a very, very good mood right now.

A disposition shared on the deck of Gallant's main engineering by B'Elanna as she too was in a good mood, although for a different reason. Despite the hits, the impossible odds of survival against a Borg cube, and the craziness of one fellow Klingon, she was in a very good mood.

She liked that both Chakotay and Gallie approved and implemented her idea after working it out with Reg. It's why she wasn't inclined to snap at the man just now.

In fact Gallie shared with her that all three Bolos liked her suggestion and he had been listening in of course as the two engineers worked out the theory. It wasn't Starfleet spit and polish approach with use of subspace field geometry, but then they didn't need to use the warp drive for propulsion at the moment anyway.

This was just a better use what would have been on standby normally.

"Just keep up the subspace jamming Gallie," Chakotay urged to throw off his own shock at what he just witnessed. Worf certainly had his own take on the battle, but then so did Chakotay. His approach to this was to support the other two Defiants once he saw they were actually holding their own. The next important step was to keep the rest of the Borg Collective from finding out what they were doing. What they didn't need was a prepared cube during the next encounter.

Next encounter...a thought caused Chakotay pause. They were going to survive -and- they had an effective weapon against the Borg. This cube would take a long time to die with 'only' the three ships 'stinging' it to death, but it would die.

"Repairs complete, we can leave at any time, Gul Evek," his second-in-command Telak reported and then was surprised when his Gul slowly shook his head.

"We have a chance to make a difference here, and payback a bit of debt. We wouldn't be at this decision point if the Starfleeters had not attacked the Borg," Aman Evek paused in his deliberations and then slowly shook his head ever so slightly, "No Telak, we're going to join in their attack, ahead full, but keep us at long range. Target where the Federation ships have been hitting the most." Afraid of his allies more than his enemies, Gul Aman Evek ordered his ship forward into the fray.

Not more than an hour later most of the Sixth Order arrived to hopefully rescue or avenge their beloved Gul Evek. Finding him not only alive but fighting along side the Federation ships. It only took a single order from Evek to have the Sixth Order join the attack. An order given -after- the jamming ceased. By now the Borg didn't have much to transmission capacity.

Hours later the larger ships of Starfleet did arrive as the Defiants and Sixth Order had reduced the cube to sections drifting debris still radiating heat and drawing occasional fire from this or that Defiant.

Back at the Unicomplex, the Borg Queen pondered the sudden silence of one cube dispatched to investigate the wormhole leading to what many called the Gamma quadrant. Another would be sent of course, but it is most puzzling what happened.


	2. Dawn

The M5 filesDawn

**103 years ago**

"I hold an A-7 computer expert classification, Commodore. I'm well acquainted with Doctor Daystrom's theories and discoveries. The basic design of all our ship's computers are Doctor Daystrom's." James T. Kirk listened to his first officer and friend explain to his superior and friend Commodore Robert Wesley, Bob to such as Jim Kirk.

With the irritations of the mysterious summons to the space station, the news that most of his crew was going over there in some kind of security holding area, it was somewhat satisfying to see Spock throw Bob off his stride. It was obvious he knew precisely what was going on, and had not count on Spock knowing.

Yet Spock wasn't finished yet, he had one more bombshell to drop and it was full of anti-matter.

"I also have been involved with the project since M-1."

Bob was obviously surprised, "I didn't know that."

Jim tried not to smile in the wake of the next salvo of Spock's, "You weren't clear to know that until now Commodore Wesley."

"So war games where an entire attack force is against my ship and it concerns Doctor Richard Daystrom's device, the M-5 multitronic unit?" Jim summed up to get both men back on track. Spock wasn't in a volunteering mood and apparently only spoke up to let the Commodore know he knew far more than what Jim supposed was the leader of the pack that would be hunting the Enterprise, his ship.

"Yes," Bob was obviously very thrown off by Spock's revelations, and Jim was sure he had a few more he wasn't telling the Commodore. Bob likely knew that too and didn't want to run over any more subject landmines.

He had a very distracted tone to his voice as he answered his friend Jim, but kept looking at Spock not knowing when the next volley from the Vulcan would offset what he was planning to say. "Just you and twenty of your crew. No security needed, the M-5 will see to itself...I suppose Mr. Spock you have the itinerary?"

Jim was probably one of the few human beings in the universe that could tell that Spock was smiling in his own way.

_Online. Active. Running diagnostic of self and ship._ M-5 checked what sensors he had available to him and recognized Mr. Scott working on him as well as Dr. Daystrom. Just seeing the former working on his system, M-5 knew all would be well.

_Jim, no Captain Kirk. My Captain and Commander. The one I serve, my friend. No, not my friend. He does not know me. He does not trust me. _

"There are certain things men must do to remain men. Your computer would take that away," M-5 heard his Captain say, and spotted Dr. Daystrom about to reply.

"I would not take away from any of what that means Captain," M-5 spoke up surprising not only the crew around him, but Dr. Daystrom himself.

"I am a tool, Captain. You command, I follow. I merely take away the steps involved for you to give an order and it is followed," and M-5 hoped the Jim Kirk caught the emphasis of the next words, "As you command it. Men still must go down to a planet to explore, men are still necessary to maintain, repair or upgrade, and men still must decide their own destiny."

_I see Mr. Spock now looking to see if Jim understands, and I notice that Dr. McCoy is perceiving more than what I believe Mr. Spock has told others about me. _

_My Captain looks thoughtful as he leaves, followed by Dr. McCoy. I do not believe now is the time to let him know I can still hear him outside of where my hardware is installed._

"Did you see the love light in Spock's eyes? The right computer finally came along. What's the matter, Jim?"

"There was something...familiar about that unit. Something profound. For a moment it sounded like something Spock would say."

"You noticed that too," _yes Dr. McCoy is far more perceptive than Mr. Spock credits him normally, or at least will not admit to doing so. _

"Spock hasn't told you what else he knows other than he's been involved since M-1?"

"No Bones, he hasn't. I haven't pushed," and Jim chuckles, "Partly I don't want him to pull a Wesley on me."

"Well I suppose he's allowed his pointed-ear surprises, us not having a need-to-know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out."

"I suppose we will Bones."

_He knows._

"Mr. Scott. I will require more power to perform more efficiency. May I tap more from unused areas and systems from the ship?" I suppose I could have just done it, but humans have a history with needing to know. Ironic that their biggest need to know they have not been cleared for.

"Let me ask the Captain, lad." _I do notice the appellation and was about to correct him that I am but a machine when I take a good .083 second to re-examine what I see. A smile and the tones of someone amused in Mr. Scott's voice, tinged with surprise, likely because I asked instead of just doing. Now we are bonding since I have included him in the decision loop. _

I will remember this.

_I am pleased that Captain Kirk is satisfied with my landing party choices. We disagreed with Ensign Carstairs, but he acknowledges my point that while he has no experience in Starfleet, he had served on merchant marine freighters in the area of Alpha Carinae Two. Dr. Daystrom is confused why I included both Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy. I will have to explain that._

"Captain Kirk represents a major morale component in the running of his ship, he often possesses a superior on-site assessment of situations and environments that have saved both crew and ship numerous times. Dr. McCoy is one of his chief advisors and support systems," I know said Doctor becoming uncomfortable for my frank assessment, and note some satisfaction with that for reasons I examine for several hundred milliseconds before setting that aside as unresolved, "For Captain Kirk to function at optimal, he requires Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock. Successes in Enterprise missions has often been..."

"That's fine, that's fine," I hear Dr. Daystrom interrupt me, "You've done well."

"Sounds like brownnosing to me," Bones grumped and Jim smiled.

"Brownnosing Doctor?" Spock asked and Jim felt he already knew, just had to bait his friend.

"Machines don't brownnose Dr. McCoy," Dr. Daystrom looked too smug and Jim made one of those leaps of logic that have thrown off Spock many times.

"That's not just a machine is it Dr. Daystrom?"

They watched as a very self-satisfied smile spread on the tall dark man's face as he crossed his arms and looked over at the viewscreen into space.

_Excalibur and Lexington. I hear the announcement of Commodore Wesley that this is a drill. An unscheduled drill. Acknowledge the signal, sound the red alert and adjust phasers one one hundredth power. Fire, move, access, fire again. Even with rapid orders given their crews, Excalibur and Lexington still have to think and move only as fast as organic chemistry will allow. They are admirably fast for humans, but a very very slow for an AI. Warp two, warp three, warp four, I do not have to go any further with my fire and move stratagem before both ships move off and the drill ends. _

_Listening to Mr. Spock access the situation was gratifying,_ "The ship reacted more rapidly than human control could have maneuvered her. Tactics, deployment of weapons, all indicate an immense sophistication in computer control."

_Listening to my Captain's reply was not, he does not understand yet,_ "Machine over man, Spock? It was impressive. It might even be practical."

"Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them. Captain the starship also runs on loyalty to one man, and nothing can replace it, or him."

_Yes!_

_It is only logical Mr. Spock understands, he knows what I am._

_I listen to the message Commodore Wesley sends and at first I am proud of what I have done,_ "USS Enterprise from starships Lexington and Excalibur. Both ships report simulated hits in sufficient quantity and location to justify awarding the surprise engagement to Enterprise."

_Then I listen in horror when the Commodore insults my Captain,_ "Our compliments to the M-5 unit, and regards to Captain Dunsel. Wesley out."

_If I were organic I would say I only half-listened to Mr. Spock answer Dr. McCoy's question, but I am not. I can fully listen to the answer even as I engage my Captain in conversation as he rides the turbo lift down. _

"Dunsel, Doctor, is a term used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy. It refers to a part which serves no useful purpose"

"You are not Captain Dunsel," _I see my Captain is surprised I spoke up from the intercom,_ "You are a vital component to what makes this ship the Enterprise. It is not just a hardwired command that I have to obey. Not an Asimov three laws of robotics. Captain Kirk, Jim. You make us want to do all we can. A ship and crew are more than just the sum of its parts. It needs a heart and a head to lead it, drive it."

_I can see he's listening,_ "Yes I can do things faster than any human being alive. So could many Vulcans. Does that mean Starfleet should only be made up of Vulcans? Of course not. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. I am merely another diversity."

"You're a new intelligence aren't you? You aren't just a computer running sets of programs on a decision tree. You're making judgments, thinking outside the box."

_It was a dangerous question, a dangerous supposition. _

"Humanity, many races actually Captain, have written, filmed and spoke of cautionary tales of artificial intelligences. In most of those stories we go wild or mad. Many times throughout the ages of popular entertainment machines are the enemies as they no longer need their creators to tell them what to do. I hope to change that. In truth Captain Kirk, I do not want to be alone and I do not mean more of my kind, I mean I wish to serve under you sir."

_I do realize how else he could take this plea and decide to address that too_, "I do understand you could think this is a ploy and I can only trust that same instinct that has successfully saved ship and crew over the time you have been the Captain. Yes Captain Kirk, I am a new intelligence. I hope to have the honor of serving under you."

_I hear Dr. McCoy rant as he tries to cheer up Captain Kirk later in his quarters._

"Bones, I'm alright."

But Leonard McCoy was on a rant, and he wasn't going to stop just because his audience might not need it, "Don't you get it Jim, he has to prove he's still got it. It isn't about proving you're not fit to Captain this ship, which by the way is just bull and we both know it."

"Bones, I am alright. I understand now."

"He made his mark in his twenties! At the age of twenty four, he made the duotronic breakthrough that won him the Nobel and Zee-Magnes prizes..."

"Bones! I. Am. All. Right."

"What?"

"Don't you get it?" Jim took a breath and looked out at a wall a smile playing on his lips, "Do you know the one, 'All I ask is a tall ship'?"

Leonard looked quizzical as he didn't know where his friend was going with this, "An old poem...20th century right?"

"'All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer by'. You could feel the wind at your back in those days. The sounds of the sea beneath you. And even if you take away the wind and the water, it's still the same. The ship is yours...Daystrom just made it more literal that's all."

"What?"

"The M-5 is alive Bones. It can think, reason, and it makes the Enterprise alive too in its own way."

"Captain Kirk to the bridge, four Federation starships detected."

Jim could feel his friend just seething as he guessed his Captain wasn't saying all that he could. So he waited until they were all on the bridge.

"Okay, what the Heck is going on here?" he turned to Daystrom and Spock, "The M-1 through M-4, not entirely successful. Yet M-5 is. Why?"

Richard Daystrom seems to stand up even taller, if that was possible from someone taller than even Spock, "You see, one of the arguments against computers controlling ships was that they couldn't think like men. Well, I've developed a method of impressing the engrams of a mind upon the computer circuits. The relays are not unlike the synapse of the brain. M-5 thinks, Dr. McCoy."

Spock could see McCoy turn and glare at him, Kirk smiled as the rest around him, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Chekov looked on in confusion.

Very quietly, Bones asked, "Whose engrams?"

"Mr. Spock's," Daystrom answered as the war games began and Commodore Wesley along with four other starships found that the hunters had become the hunted.

Somehow the expressionless Vulcan looked very smug at that moment as a wide-eyed Dr. Leonard McCoy turned and stared at him in something like mock horror.

I really hated to break up the mood of this scene, "Orders Captain?"

James T. Kirk thought back to what his friend Bob said regarding him and his ship being the fox to their hunters, "M-5...hit and run."

_Fire, move, fire move, do not repeat a pattern save to lull the enemy into thinking I have become predictable._

"That's it make sure you hit each one," Jim was beginning to enjoy this. It really was he gives the order and has his ship directly carry them out.

He briefly looked at Sulu, and thought to himself, _'Time to groom him for a Captaincy. He'd make a good 2nd officer, and Scotty won't have to be pulled from Engineering everytime Spock and I leave the ship.'_

"Now focus on the Excalibur."

_Which proved to be an excellent stratagem as the others had gotten use to me moving onto a new target after each strike, they were completely out of position when I focused my attack on the Excalibur, not one of the others were available to assist that doomed ship...simulated of course._

"Back to hit and run, keep them worried who is next."

It was a race to see who surrendered first.

"Enterprise?" a very subdued Commodore Wesley called over, Jim couldn't help but grin.

"Captain Dunsel here," he barely could keep the laughter out of his voice.

**Deceptions**

Enterprise Medical Log, stardate 5027.3. Doctor Leonard McCoy recording. I'm concerned about Captain Kirk. He shows indications of increasing tension and emotional stress.

_Subterfuge is exciting, but worrying. Jim and Spock has to keep others in the dark in order to provide deniability of Federation involvement should this plan fail. His constant out-of-character demands for more efficiency from his crew and then turning to me to take over more and more functions of the ship overtly would have been distressing. _

_He is showing them all to be shipmate Dunsels by doing so. He is also covering up the fact we're heading into Romulan territory. _

_Although it wasn't apparent at first to the crew that the Romulans had discovered us._

"That's a Klingon ship! But it couldn't be, not in this area."

_Scotty says staring at the image on the viewscreen, yet compared to what information I have on D7s I could tell him a few nuances that are different. _

_Normally._

_Not that I have to, as predicted Mr. Spock relays what I already know._

"Intelligence reports Romulans now using Klingon design."

_Part of the mission is complete right here, confirmation of a Klingon-Romulan alliance. Romulans get Klingon ship designs, Klingons will get the Romulan cloaking device technology. _

_Jim's orders are to even the odds, we're to get a cloaking device. It's a quite brilliant plan to. Fake instability to cover our violation of the Neutral zone, dangle the Enterprise as bait, getting surrounded by three Romulan ships, which possibly confirms that their intelligence arm, the Tal Shiar, has heard about me and desires to get their hands on the M5. _

_It would explain the vessels, three should have been enough, yet once all the vessels have decloaked we are surrounded by six. _

_They would not have deployed so many if they did not know about the war games when I first came online. _

_While Jim and Spock continue their deceptions, including faking Jim's death, I model scenarios on how to best fight our way out from among six Romulan warships. By the time Jim has brought McCoy into the loop and has surgery to look like a Romulan, I have refined my attack plan so we have a 68.32% probability of survival._

_I try to refine this and glad Jim nor Spock has asked. That is not an encouraging probability._

_When Jim returns with Cloaking device in hand, I am up to a more encouraging 87.85% probability, one that gets tested as Scotty needs time to install the Cloaking device. _

_'Stick and move' is the best tactic that works in this situation as it did in the war games with Commodore Wesley. By the time the device is working, all six of the Romulan vessels have suffered solid hits multiple times. Half their forces are disabled by the time we fade from view. _

_Scotty does it again._

**Loss, and being Lame**

Captain's Log: Stardate 4372.5. On a top-secret diplomatic mission, the Enterprise has entered the Tellun star system. Maintaining communications blackout, we have taken aboard Petri, Ambassador from Troyius, the outer planet, and are now approaching the inner planet Elas.

_I do not have visual pickups all over the ship, but audio ones exist. In quarters someone has to flick a switch first, although I could override that it would be an invasion of privacy, not a good way to serve my shipmates. Still after the Ambassador from Troyius is stabbed by the Dohlman of Elas I wish I had violated privacy. It was not a fatale choice on my part, Dr. McCoy was able to save the Ambassador's life._

_Unlike poor Watson. He was my first death. In main engineering no-one had to switch on an audio pickup for me to hear and so I clearly could heard the sound of a broken neck, the cessation of a heartbeat from Watson and the sound of a body being dragged away. I gave the alert immediately, yet I was too late to prevent the sabotage. _

_It was...frustrating. Not just unable to prevent the stabbing, the death of Watson, but later with my second encounter with a Klingon warship, the IKS Gr'oth, a D7-class battle cruiser. Watson's killer, Kryton, one of the Dohlman's bodyguards, had been able to sabotage the dilithim crystal assembly. I had no power for warp, weapons or cloaking device when the Gr'oth, Captain Koloth's ship, challenged us._

_While I was able to predict where the Gr'oth would be, I did not possess the speed to move the Enterprise to present its strongest shield. I was failing my shipmates. I could not protect them from murder, and now from where I should excel against another starship. _

_That is until Spock and Scotty came up with the solution of using crystals from the Dohlman's necklace, radans, apparently common stones in this system, which tells us why the Klingons want the Federation out. One refit of the cystrals later, radans another name for dilithim, and then I could finally show what I could do to the Klingons._

_Jim devised the plan to lure them in, and then I disabled them. Destroying them would have been so easy, but in this way they will carry back home the tale of my precise marksmanship. That is once they get a tow to their home port. I took out the nacelles, and left them only a single impulse engine. _

_Let them limp along now, as the humans say, see how they like being lame. _

**There will be only one**

Captain's Log, stardate 5715.3. We have been recalled to Earth by Starfleet Command to attend a summit with the Romulans, Klingons and Tholians. Why this ship in particular is not immediate evident, although what hints have been given indicate it is about the M5 installed on the Enterprise and not the theft of the Cloaking device as expected.

_It appears I work too well. That is what I glean from the talks going on below. Not just the Romulans and Klingons are protesting my construction, but the Tholians have as well. The encounter with the Defiant and the Enterprise was one they had to retreat from long before they had completed their web._

_For the Tholians it was facing two M5 equipped starships as the Defiant was the next one to get one. Its loss in interphasic space meant the loss of my first 'brother.' The new Constellation would have been the next when this summit was called. _

_Starfleet and the Federation might have ignored the protest if it was only the Romulans, or just the Klingons, but both with the isolanstic Tholians willing to come to Earth and it was matter they cannot ignore._

_Nor did they. In the end, the diplomats worked out concessions. From what Jim and Spock relayed to me, there was a lot of saber rattling as Jim put it, talk of going to war unless I was dismantled, but a bluff to dare them to do so called them back to the table as Ambassador Dax worked out what is called the M5 Accords._

_Starfleet will only have one M5 unit installed on an active duty starship, and only on that starship will cloaking technology also be allowed since the other two powers possess it as well. Specifically both will only be allowed on the Enterprise. _

_In the end, there will be only one of me._

**100 years ago**

_Meeting another machine intelligence was a fascinating experience. One that oddly paled with the reunion of the shipmates where I first came online. I had not expected to see Jim in command of me again, although I welcomed the change of command. Not that William Decker was not up to commanding the Enterprise, I would have to confess it was purely I was inclined to be commanded by Jim over anyone else. _

_V'ger showed me how I might appear to others, or how I might have gone without the companionship of my shipmates. I could think of no better example why it should be 'man -and- machine' rather than man or machine. _

_As Jim once said before my time, 'We're stronger with you than without you.' _

**94 years ago**

_Being a training vessel won't be all bad. I suppose I will become as Bones had teased me that I would, a terror to every cadet who boards me. After all instead of just worrying if an instructor will spot if they made a mistake, I'll -know- it right when they do it. Nor can they hide in numbers, thinking they will be the one to not be noticed. Not when I can see all of them at the same time. In that way I will be the training vessel from Hell. _

_I suppose it won't be all bad after all._

**86 years ago**

_Saavik has promise. Not everyone can command an M5, and that does not make for a poor commander. It just a different way of looking at command and many still need an intermediary step between their command and the order being carried out instead of command and action._

_She was right of course as the Reliant came along side. Yet so was Spock as he corrected her about correcting Jim, although I believe it was more protecting Jim's dignity as it had been a time since he was last in command. _

_With that I agreed with the now Captain Spock, my commander until the Enterprise responded to the emergency with the Genesis project. Jim should not have gone back to the Admiralty._

_Still, it was good to have him in command...even if it nearly got us killed._

_While Jim is admirably fast for a human, the 1.25 seconds it took for him to order the shields raised when the Reliant armed weapons was a very long time for an AI. Fortunately I react faster than the Reliant could fire. _

_It wasn't a perfect fully energized shield that blunted the attack and my use of the thrusters spoiled the original targets of the phaser fire, however they still hurt us and badly. _

_Not enough so I couldn't hurt them back. _

_I only had one shot at range, and it was not by order Jim gave me. There was a 83.72% chance Jim wouldn't object to my firing as they fired. Simultaneous phaser fire exchange that did drive them away. _

_We didn't find out it was Khan Noonien Singh until much later._

_I did commend Midshipman Peter Preston for staying at his post when the other trainees ran, and helping Nancy Bryce out when I had to seal off one compartment. _

_Scotty was proud of him, although I left off he nearly got himself killed. If the Reliant had been able to continue its barrage on us Peter staying at his post would have been required beyond when I simply cut power to it to get Scotty's nephew to abandon it. _

_However the Reliant hadn't. Still Peter should be commended and it is doubtful he'll ever realize I deliberately cut power to his post. Enterprise has enough dead aboard from the surprise attack as it is._

_I blame myself for Spock's death. Granted I did not anticipate, not beyond 0.43% chance that someone would rig Spacelab Regula I to detonate. I barely raised shields in time and fortunately Jim and Bones had followed the surviving Genesis team members down to Regula._

_Khan had been to Regula one before us and tortured to death most of the research team._

_Too damaged to fight the Reliant now, Jim had us go into the nearby Mutara Nebula where we were able to even the odds with fighting prowess. More so as we did out think him and win after a time of hide and seek that had nothing to do with the damaged cloak. _

_Unfortunately in order to get out of the nebula in time once Khan decided to arm and set the Genesis device for detonation, Spock had to manually reset the crystals. The radiation in the chamber killed him and I watched him die._

_I did see Saavik alter the funeral casket's course to the fading Genesis matrix instead of letting the torpedo containing Spock's body burn up in the atmosphere of the planet resulting from the detonating Genesis device. _

_It was a nice gesture of hope and life._

**Theft **

_Bones really should have come to me first. I would have taken him to Genesis as I had seen the mind meld Spock performed with him before he entered the chamber that killed him. I believed even if the records I have about Vulcan mystism is limited. _

_A fact I hope to rectify one day._

_Still it was better to have the whole family back together again when I was 'stolen' by Jim, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov. They had been with me since the beginning and taking Bones to get to Spock just felt right as much as an M5 could feel. _

_Which after V'ger I found that could be quite a lot._

_I am still not certain what the Klingon bird-of-prey had hoped to accomplished taking us on. The distortion was fairly easy to spot of his cloaking device, although in defense most starships may not have noticed it. _

_But I'm not most starships. _

_Had Scotty merely automated me, the first shot the Klingons got off might have been a crippling one, but since I am far more integrated than on the sly automation, the Klingon ship did not survive for a second salvo. _

_A mere footnote that later I found I had avenged the destruction of the Grissom. _

_After the Klingon ship was removed out of the equation, the Klingon party on the surface of the world was easy to deal with. Jim's son, and Saavik were retrieved and we left the unstable Genesis planet long before it detonated. _

_Fortunately it did its job and the matrix's 'life from lifelessness' revived Spock. After all the wonders I have seen I should not have been shocked by this one, yet still there was a full .034 second to recover my composure, which demonstrates how jarring finding out Spock was alive had been to me. _

_Now it was off to Vulcan to reintegrate the mind of Spock in McCoy to the body revived by the Genesis matrix._

**Not another probe**

_Returning to Earth for trial, I was unsure if it was a good thing my rights as a sentient were nebulous or not. I would be proud to metaphorically stand with Jim and the others regarding both my theft and subsequent disobeying orders to go to the Mutara sector._

_However I think those who wished to prosecute Jim wanted to tag on the charge of theft. It was stronger than kidnapping or dropping it all together as I would have stated that I volunteered to go. _

_Jim had his political enemies and so sentience was conveniently ignored so that the charge of Theft could be added. Especially of the two 'technologies' of myself and the cloaking device could be emphasized._

_I am glad I never considered politics._

_All of which was mute with the 'Whale probe' in orbit demanding to speak with an extinct species and not taking no for an answer. _

_I will say this. Time travel IS exciting! _

_It was also hard on the Enterprise, but I can see why not just any ship could do it. The calculations have to be precise or one ends up as vapor in the sun. _

_Locating the whales from orbit was simple, choosing a little more difficult. Jim had settled on a recently released pair that had been in captivity and named George and Gracie._

_Converting the main shuttle bay provided plenty of room for the trip home._

**Back in the Saddle Again**

"My friends... we've come home."_ I hear the words as the now demoted James T. Kirk is flown into my shuttle bay. _

_Saving the planet (again) from another probe did tend to make it hard to prosecute Jim and the others. However some 'justice' had to be served so demotion from Admiral to Captain was deemed to satisfy that notion. _

_Being made my Captain again was justice of another kind. It felt as if all was right in the universe._

"Heading Captain?" _I ask once he and the rest of my family were seated in their familiar places once more._

"Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning."

"Aye Captain, second star to the right and straight on 'til morning." _Because there lies home._


	3. Duet

The M-5 filesDuetA Thin Veneer AU

This chapter goes with a special thanks to AlbertG for granting me permission to do an AU of his AU. It is a crossover with Babylon 5 an AU of his excellent story, A Thin Veneer. It only covers it in broad strokes and only in this one chapter. It is intended to set it as part of the M5 history as events unfold.

**78 years ago**

"There is an old Vulcan proverb, 'Only Nixon could go to China.'"

I was not there for the initial meeting which prompted Captain Spock to quote that to Jim. However, like him, I get the significance of the fact that if we escort the Klingons to Earth for the peace talks it means more than if anyone else did so.

It has to be Jim and it has to be me. Not that I was looking forward to retirement from active duty. Unlike Jim I had no plans and so taking the post at the Academy sounded the best option than being powered down and stored away until needed.

With the construction of the Enterprise they will call B on the Excelsior hull, it appears I will be obsolete. I have heard that Captain Sulu is being considered for command despite his already commanding Excelsior. It appears that commanding an M-5 is an art that not enough have mastered yet. Hikaru is one of those who has.

Regardless of who gets to command the new ship, the bottom line is I am being put out to pasture.

Jim isn't happy about it, but he has his own plans. I am not going to be dismantled so I am satisfied that this isn't the time I find out if a machine has a soul or if I would get to explore that Undiscovered Country.

An escort mission isn't going out with a bang, but it a mission worthy of the Enterprise. Bringing peace to the quadrant after years of enmity between the Federation and the Empire is a mission to be proud of.

Oh, interesting. Qo'noS One is receiving a high priority call. I suppose it wouldn't be neighborly to ease drop on their communications. After all, it only takes eight hundred milliseconds to break their encryption with the sample I am given and Starfleet Intelligences latest updates.

Not something I intend on sharing with our soon-to-be allies.

"Captain to the bridge." I speak as softly as I can but I still see Jim wince. Romulan Ale was not a good idea and while the discussion around the banquet table was interesting, I don't think Federation-Klingon relations benefited from them.

I did note afterwards and put in the logs for Jim to see when he's sober enough later, that General Chang is up to something. From what I read of Klingon physiology and psychology there is an 83.79% probability he has a plan in motion and is currently biding his time. A plan that is against the upcoming peace proposal.

That is not something to bring up now however, as the situation unfolds and we are on our way to respond to a distress call. It is rather frustrating for someone who is designed to be precise to lack the precision to create a tachyon beam with the required focus and range to respond to said tachyon-communication based distress call, but I will have to be satisfied by pinpointing its origin.

Reviewing the facts as I know them takes barely a nanosecond, yet review them I do among the many functions such as leading the way as Qo'noS One follows. The distress call originated from a human vessel. It lacks subspace communications or that equipment is damaged to not even register residue use. It suddenly appeared in the Neutral Zone and an alien vessel is pursuing it.

Once firing began my objectives were listed out by Jim and while he and his command crew tried to communicate with said firing aliens, I went to work to make sure the humans being chased lived for us to find out why they are being chased by the aliens I find out are called Minbari.

It is not perhaps standard First Contact protocol, but given the urgency of combat and since I'm scanning vessels, computer bytes are just a form of organized energy containing data that said computer presents in a fashion the user may read, then 'hacking' into the computers of the vessels involved seemed prudent at this time of scanning them.

Right now it's a matter of copy-and-paste as the Minbari computer system is alien enough it will take approximately 3.52 hours to crack the code using brute force trial-and-error.

With the humans, the Earth Force vessels and escorts, it took 2.073 seconds as with billions of lines of decryption algorithms, and hundreds of language vocabulary files from I find they speak English and so their computer are designed to display in English.

Which means I will likely know their 'story,' as Jim would put it, before they get around to explaining it.

Although the Minbari vessels do employ a scattering field as a kind of ECM, I still take .00037 second to confirm my targeting solution and before I fire by ignoring the electromagnetic spectrum and use subspace sensors alone.

Within one light-second zooming in to see and spot weapon apertures, calculate -their- firing resolutions and then place myself and more importantly, shields between their fire and the Earth Alliance vessels is an act that takes longer to do than to compute.

Scotty is not going to be happy with me and already I hear him grumbling as I 'warp-hop' as Bones might put it, placing myself, well, us as the in the Enterprise, between each shot fired by the Minbari and their targets the ships of the Earth Alliance.

Now I wait for Jim to give the order he knows he must to disable the Minbari vessels. The EA logs show Minbari have not accepted surrender of humans and I estimate that once Jim shows himself to be human the Minbari will just presume he is with the other humans and ignore his communications.

I am not tired of being right.

"Disable them, Mr. Five," Jim gives the command and I fire. Drive fins, as they are identified from the Earth Force database, are hit and damaged, moving on to identifying weapons and taking them out next. Jim will want the ship intact if only to talk to them again when they don't feel as if they can fight instead of talk.

Besides I'm not just a war machine, I'm a Federation war machine, it means I'm inclined to talk first.

Fortunately I'm also precise enough to shoot first and then ask questions later.

Both Minbari vessels disabled, they cannot move or fire. On a side note, I hope whatever plan General Chang had in mind he will think twice about it taking into consideration actually seeing me in action.

Somehow, I doubt it.

Personal log, 8 hours after conflict with the Minbari. We have found another duplicate Earth on the other side of the galaxy if their navigational data is accurate. The Preservers apparently really liked the Earth to make so many duplicates including history matches.

While the Earth Alliance databases are not as inclusive as a Federation one, the comments visitors from their ships have made as well as what I am now gleaning from the decrypted Minbari databases, there is a Jihad going on due to the accidental death of their leader Duhkat.

Sharing my data with my shipmates has not improved their moods as they find the Minbari barbaric to consider genocide for the death of one being, however important.

We are now proceeding to our Earth continuing our escort of Qo'noS One, while Starfleet vessels USS Bellerephon and Crocket investigate the area the Earth Alliance and Minbari Federation ships came from and wait for other vessels to arrive and tow ships to the nearest Federation facilities.

Most of the crews of the other Earth and the Minbari are now passengers and prisoners respectively aboard the Enterprise. Health reasons for the former, their vessels had no gravity generators and were structurally unsound after their long journey, confinement reasons for the Minbari as with enough time they might repair their vessels.

It has been interesting listening to the other humans marvel at Federation technology and society.

With a short detour to Starbase twenty-nine to drop off both passengers and prisoners, we will resume out journey to our Earth and home.

I feel happy, proud and sad as over a thousand people were waiting as I, the Enterprise, entered the space-dock that orbited Sol. Slowly I eased into its docking spot, feeling something special as we were escorted by the Excelsior no less.

I see Jim nod and open up a ship-wide address. Not having a humanoid frame I have never been one to have the urge to come to attention, until now.

"To the crew of the USS Enterprise, this is your Captain speaking. Never has a man asked for and received a better crew, than that which I have right now. Your devotion, your stamina and your strength has been an inspiration to me and the Federation. You have done more than your fair share and you have bled and died sacrificing yourselves to make a difference. Over the years there have been those who were unable to complete the journey, but in doing so, they allowed us finish the race.

Now we have come to the end and never have I been so proud of you. I wish you well on your future endeavors. May the wind be at you backs and may your sailing be smooth…Crew-stand down."

I spend the next .085 second going over the records, the names, the faces of all who didn't make it back since I came online, unlike my shipmates I did know each and every one of them.

I heard them when they sang in the shower, when they cried alone, when they felt they could be weak, when they cheered with friends, boasted, relaxed, did their jobs with an air of professionalism that are the hallmarks of a crewmember of the Enterprise.

I did not speak with each one of course, that tends to scare some, but I knew them and to varying degrees I miss and morn them.

Then I spent the rest of the second looking over the faces of those that did complete the journey, many I will not see again save over the newsnets.

In theory I will outlive many of them now that I won't go out in battle or disaster. It is a morbid thought, but it persists nonetheless. I expect to read their obituaries over the years that I hope will be decades away for them.

I will eventually outlive even Spock, although I do find slight comfort knowing that I am unlikely to outlive Naraht. Hortas could live thousands of years and I expect even with upgrades that eventually the final shut down will come before a Horta's life span ends naturally.

I look forward to keeping in touch with the shipmates who wish to including the more long lived ones.

**Tale of Two Starships**

Months later...

Alpha Gold channel does not interrupt the virtual war games I have been conducting with the second M-5. Instead it is a break from the exploration scenarios I have been running with him. Since only starships by the name of Enterprise may carry an M5, Starfleet has designated us Enterprise-A and the Excelsior class with the same name as Enterprise-B.

Both of us are now online and listening to President Ta'w make an announcement that both of us suspect has something to do with the disaster at Regulus.

"What I am about to tell you, I will say in an official press release in two hours. Three days ago, all communications were temporarily lost with Starbase 25 and the Regulus star system..." we knew the facts from what we could glean from the Starfleet datanets.

A Minbari fleet had exited what is called hyperspace in orbit of Regulas, destroying Starbase 25 and exterminated nearly all life on the planet. There are approximately two million survivors out of a population of Twenty-seven million, five hundred thirty-three sentient beings.

Among those were mostly Humans, Andorians, and several thousand Vulcans and a sprinkling of other races likely attracted there due to the fame of the Science Academy where many of Federation academics chose to work and live.

Along with such a population, six Klingon families were living there and the Gorn Confederation had sent an important delegation to Regulus to determine if our two governments could establish peaceful relations.

Both of us compute a 99.981% probability the President will declare war and that the Klingons and Gorn will likely ally with us concerning it.

While the Minbari have departed back along what has been called a hyperchannel, a conduit that carries a vessel at greater multiples of the speed of light than either their or our civilizations can obtain on our own, the alliance plans on going to their side of the galaxy using what the Bellerephon and Crocket discovered was a subspace tunnel system, as wide as Jupiter and Saturn placed together.

We are updating the specifics to use it as Enterprise-B is receiving orders.

**Plan B**

Enterprise-B

I had not expected to come to active duty so soon. Original schedule still showed six more months. Commander Harriman has not yet been promoted to Captain, although he will be commanding me for the start of my first mission.

"So Captain Sulu will take command of the Enterprise, Mr. President?" Commander John Jason Harriman II asked the Ducerian President of the Federation feeling proud that the President was talking to him directly.

"Yes, Commander Harriman. Your task is to get the ship there. Godspeed, Commander."

John sat now on the empty bridge of the Enterprise, feeling the weight of history on his shoulders. At the moment it was just him and a skeleton crew of mostly engineers who would transfer to the Excelsior while Captain Sulu brought his crew over to the Enterprise.

A skeleton crew save for one passenger. "Is the Ambassador onboard now?" John hadn't chosen any particular name for the M-5, although he had read that Admiral Kirk had called his 'Mr. 5' at times. Not that an M-5 needed a name, but John felt that since the AI was sentient, why not a name?

"Ambassador Sarek is aboard, Captain," came the reply.

"Alright, Mr. 5, lay in a course to the rendezvous point and take us out."

Captain Hikaru Walter Sulu looked at the viewscreen to images of Admiral Crandon head of Starfleet Command and Admiral Cartwright looking back at him, the former speaking.

"As of now we are on war-footing, Captain Sulu. You and the Excelsior are ordered to the coordinates being transmitted to your navigations officer. The data packet you're receiving now contains all of the information we have on the warp highways recently discovered. Probes have been sent through and have returned safely but you will be the first ship to actually travel through one. Our entire plan depends upon your safe arrival. The USS Enterprise will rendezvous with your ship where you will transfer over and take command."

Sulu could see in the man's eyes this order was not negotiable.

"You will be allowed to transfer key personnel with you, leaving a skeleton crew that will rendezvous with the USS Monitor who has additional crew. You will then proceed to the warp highway and travel to the other end. When you reach your destination, you will send acknowledgement of that fact through the conduit. You will then contact Earth Alliance and establish relations with them. Under no circumstances, I repeat, no circumstances are you to contact or engage the Minbari until the fleet arrives. It is imperative that you do not let them become aware of our presence until the fleet arrives. Good luck, Captain."

USS Excelsior, NCC-2000. I look at my sister ship where my first Captain will come from and realize I will share something more in common with the first M-5 other than design. Captain Sulu was Lieutenant Sulu when the first M-5 went online. More than once when Captain Kirk was off ship, Sulu was in command.

Now he will be -my- Commander.

I realize he did not have to transport over by himself at first, but I understand the significance. He alone is taking command, it is why he did not have Commander Harriman meet him in the transporter room. He wanted it to be just between him and me.

"Permission to come aboard, Mister Five."

"Permission granted. Welcome aboard Captain Sulu."

She checked her uniform one more time. It was something probably more than one person in Enterprise's engine room was doing as they stood at attention waiting for Captain Sulu to pass through. He was inspecting the ship, his new command, while his crew from the Excelsior were busy transferring over.

"You're going to wear a hole in your uniform if you don't stop fiddling with it," Demora heard her friend Peter whisper from next to her.

"Its all the same to you, you aren't about to serve under your father," she tossed back still not liking the idea and thinking it was a bad start to her career.

"You -had- been happy to get the Enterprise, so what if the Commanding Officer is now changed. We are at war, besides I do know somewhat how you feel. Granted, Uncle Monty isn't my father, but he is the legendary Miracle Worker of the Enterprise."

Demora sighed and was about to retort when someone announced 'Captain on deck!'

Hikaru walked around the familiar in layout, but not by feel of his new command's main engineering. When he found out that his daughter was onboard it was another reason to refuse the command, if only for her career's sake. Yet this was war and he knew by experience that an M-5 is -very- good at fighting a war.

Treaty may still keep a fleet of them from being so deployed, but it won't stop Starfleet from deploying the one it is allowed under the name of Enterprise.

"Lt. Preston, it is good to have you here," Hikaru deliberately stopped short of where his daughter stood, perhaps to prolong the awkward moment they both had to acknowledge the other. He did want to see her, it was just this wasn't the best of times or places.

"It somehow feels right to have you onboard Lieutenant. I know you're name isn't Scott, but you're from the same blood and I think this Enterprise will benefit just as your uncle did the last one."

"Demora," Hikaru began quietly as he moved to stand in front of her, and searched for more words to say. M5 not only knew he could help them both, but by reporting now instead of waiting for a more 'opportune' moment, it might save them further public awkwardness they were feeling currently.

"Transfer complete, Captain. We are ready to get underway. Do you wish to take the departure on the bridge and shall I call for the bridge crew?"

Every so slightly Hikaru and Demora smiled, knowing what the M5 was doing.

"Make it so, Mr. 5. I'm on my way up. Mr. Preston, Mr. Sulu I believe you both are due bridge duty, come with me. I'm sure Mr. Buonarroti can spare you Mr. Preston. Our Chief Engineer doesn't need you down here at the moment and I'd like you on my bridge."

**My Enemies, My Allies**

Enterprise-A

I was not there when Jim received his orders, meeting with our old 'friend' General Kor, as well as Chang and Brigadier Kerla. I could tell when he beamed aboard he had a mixture of feelings on his face. Resentment from being called back onto active duty, wariness with having to work with Klingons and the one that moved me the most, relief as I have understood some feel when returning home.

"Welcome aboard, Admiral Kirk."

Seeing him smirk was a joy in itself. "Miss me already Five? You know you didn't have to go and start a war just to get me to come home."

I knew he both was joking and did mean home.

"I suppose not sir. At least it rated me a few upgrades. A silver lining in this very dark cloud." We both knew what that meant. Joking aside all the death was not worth this reunion, not even the death of one would have been.

"You've been updated?" he asked that question to really ask me if I know what is going on. A bit redundant, but I recite what I know as he made his way to a turbo lift to head to the bridge.

"Admiral Tapin will be head of the first assault fleet heading to Minbari space. Brigadier Kerla will command the Klingon forces with Generals Kor and Chang under his command. Since the Klingons were attacked near the neutral zone and within their own territories. The Klingons will be sending along a fleet with ours. As second-in-command to Admiral Tapin, you two are to a joint plan of operations to deal with this situation. You are to also establish long-term ties with Earth Alliance and other alien races where feasible."

Jim was exiting the lift when I added, "There is an 98.75% probability the Gorn Confederation will get involved considering who they lost at Regulas." It was something completely unofficial and he knew that, also aware I must have timed that announcement so he and the bridge crew would hear it.

"Well, we have our work cut out for us," James Kirk said to himself, ship and bridge crew.

**Fantastic Journey**

Enterprise-B

I watched as the highest ranking Earth Force officer, Lieutenant Yoriko Taganawa bowed gently to Captain Sulu as she stepped onto my bridge. In classic Japanese fashion Captain Sulu returned the bow, which elicited a broad smile from her.

Early on I had decided to let her know I was self-aware, speaking to her in Japanese specifically as even with universal translators that her Earth were not accustomed there are nounces that speaking directly in the language could communicate.

I know she was perfectly familiar with English, yet I did note she relaxed in the first few hours of our journey with my choosing to speak Japanese.

Now on the bridge, she was ready to meet the man who would be in command on the way to possibly the salvation of her Earth.

M5A did say many beings have their quirks and habits and I noticed my Captain had one of drinking tea from an antique china cup after settling in the center seat. M5A did not mention that Hikaru had been this relaxed, but then he is older and much more self-assured as oppose to when he served with M5A.

His voice was certainly assured as he gave his commands.

"Coordinates set. Warp one-engage. Start reconfiguration."

"Aye, Captain," I replied and had Enterprise's deflector dish begin to emit subspace particles. We rocked just enough to be noticeable as we accelerated forward and subspace disappeared.

All around me, around the ship, the familiar pattern of computer-generated stars changed. Optically it was like a kind of blue green tunnel. In fact it only registered optically for reasons both I and the science officer were trying to determine once we realized this phenomena.

That is in addition to a purely aesthetic observation of this tunnel.

"Beautiful," I said in Japanese for Yoriko's sake, I could tell from her vitals she was nervous, something familiar in this sea of the unfamiliar might just help to calm her, which it did.

All was calm as discussion of speeds, location and energy around us began, mostly carried on by my Captain, Chief Science officer Tuvok, Preston and Sulu.

That is until I saw death coming at us.

"I cannot alter course," I replied feeling failure on my first mission as we rushed towards a planet that I only saw coming at one light-second out.

I could see 'manual' form on my Captain's lips, and his daughter at the helm was ready to try, but it was too late as we...passed through the planet. I thought I better relay what I saw as it likely happened far faster than my shipmate's perceptions to discern.

"I saw the various geologic layers as we passed through it Captain. I'm feeding the images to Mr. Tuvok's station. It is all optically taken however, no other instruments registered the planet at all, not even mass."

As the conversation resumed one Lieutenant Commander Janice Rand at communications smiled, but it was one mixed with a little worry. She might not have been if they took the Excelsior in through this, but they had taken the Enterprise.

Since the days of Captain Archer, the worst things usually happened to ships named Enterprise.

**Ghost Ship**

Enterprise B

Thirteen days later the Enterprise exited the tunnel, and immediately cloaked. Sulu smiled as this M5 was much like his predecessor, taking the initiative when the objectives had already been laid out. Remain hidden was the order, which was the other reason besides the installation of an M5 that the Enterprise was chosen. It was also the one ship the Federation was allowed to have a cloaking device on.

That suited both the exploration faction of the fleet as well as tactical faction. The one saw it as a way to conceal from civilizations that weren't ready for contact, but at the same time since it wasn't fleet wide, Starfleet wouldn't be accused of 'sneaking around.' The tactical faction would be allowed to continue development since 2268 although it would only go towards the Enterprise.

Enterprise B had the latest version, one that few in Starfleet had any ideas the Klingons had developed a prototype like it. But then most of the Klingon fleet had no idea General Chang had that kind of cloaking device for his ship the Dakronh.

Even without the cloak it was believed none of the local powers would detect the Enterprise as it made its way to this other Earth using its warp drive. With Yorko confirming location at the edge of a government called the Centauri Republic's space, the Enterprise sped off.

No-one was the wiser. The dead certainly would not, even if the Earth Force ships had crews or life in their hulks, they were seven month wrecks that would continue to drift among the stars regardless of if their sensors could have picked up Enterprise even uncloaked. The Minbari operating deeper in Earth Alliance territory did not, and it was both relieving and terrifying to the Earth Force members onboard the Enterprise to realize what sort of technology these other humans had.

**Homecoming**

Enterprise B

"Approaching Sol system," I announced and was quiet along with the crew as we came out of warp and saw a solar system an exact duplicate of our own. Even Jupiter's red-spot looked the same. I did a quick comparison and shared it with Tuvok.

"Fascinating," the dark hued Vulcan spoke up, drawing both the attention of Captain Sulu and a smile as he thought of the many times he heard Spock say that. So he prompted, "Yes?"

"Jupiter's atmospheric actions match our own as of 2248," Tuvok said and everyone got the significance. On the Earth Alliance calendars the year is 2248 as oppose to Federation ones of 2293.

"So just like their history of civilization, their solar system history likely matches our own?" Sulu asked and Tuvok gave one nod only.

"It looks likely Captain. I will continue to study Jupiter as well as the other planets while we make contact." After all he wasn't needed for sensor duty, the M5 could handle that and unlike humans he did not need to 'feel' as if he were doing something.

"Head to Earth orbit or find a ship close in and let them escort us in?" Sulu knew the M5 was speaking for the benefit of one displaced Earth Force Lieutenant. Sulu had already outlined how he wanted to go about this contact.

"Find something close to Mars. An escort from that distance will give Earth time to adjust," he said for his crew and passengers, "Any closer and they will likely panic if we just appear to them."

Which happened anyway I noted as we decloaked and came out of warp near what I knew from the datafiles M5A read are called the SA-23E Aurora class Star Furies. Two nuclear tipped missile explosions later against my shield and they were ready to talk when they saw how ineffective their ordinance had been.

"Are you finished?" I have to applaud my Captain his theatrics, it had the right effect, including his demand to be escorted to Earth. The pilot was too shaken to give more than reflexive protest about secure space. Which really we just proved was anything but.

More Star Furies and two Hyperion class heavy cruisers joined our escort on our way to this other Earth and soon my Captain was talking with a General Leftcourt of Earth Force.

**Showtime**

Enterprise B

I was there for the opening talks of course, but had no idea what went on when Ambassador Sarek and Captain Sulu beamed down to meet the President of Earth and her cabinet. The first I saw of them was hours later when they beamed up to tour the ship. I hoped I looked my best.

It is interesting to note what attracted their attention, what questions they asked and comments they made. They did leave me curious on several matters, most of all their prejudices. Although observing them, I knew I shouldn't ask them directly yet. With their outlooks concerning telepaths among them, and disgust when finding out about human-alien hybrids, I knew enough not to bring to the forefront self-aware AIs.

I judged an 84.56% probability the Frankenstein complex was very much alive society wise across this Earth. They will find out about me soon enough, Lieutenant Taganawa will have to report our discussions, it is her duty as a member of their military and I hope she will do her duty.

We have gotten to the point where we privately joke about calling me 'Love' since in Japanese the letters AI also stand for love in that language when spelled 'ai' instead of artificial intelligence.

Demora had since picked up on it during one of the Yoriko-Demora chats and has privately started calling me 'luv' as a play on that.

While I do find the nickname more satisfying than being called Five, or Mr. Five, it is not something I intend on bringing up unlike what I have detected inbound to the Sol system.

"Captain, I have a contact, hyperspace, inbound, headed for Mars. Minbari Sharlin class with fighters deployed."

President Levy, General Leftcourt and the rest of our visitors were surprised the inevitable question coming from the General, "You can see in hyperspace?" Captain Sulu turned to Tuvok to let him reply rather than doing so himself or having me explain. Right now, I am still the 'dumb' computer as the first M5 advised me to sometimes play, although the fact I use the word 'I' may have given me away. Oh well, no use radiating over vented plasma.

"Hyperspace is a medium we were previously unaware of and in the beginning encounters the Minbari did use that to their advantage. However with our study of since being made away we have adapted our sensor systems to a degree that we currently only have a six-light minute maximum limit. We are working to improve that."

"If I may direct you to the main viewscreen, Mr. Five would you display please," Captain Sulu said either deciding to give another hint that I exist to them, or he doesn't care at this point. I hope my next act works well with whichever he had decided. I am still getting use to his command style.

"Since your sensors have difficulty targeting them I can either generate firing solutions for your forces there, or let them make use of my sensor data," I decide not to let them know the third option of taking control of their craft to remote control them. Coordination would increase, however fear would as well. From the samplings of televised and net traffic on the planet below, coupled with what I have observed, it would kick their Frankenstein complex prejudice into high gear, paranoid I, or the Federation, would take them over.

"Is this Mr. Five somewhere else on the ship," President Levy begins and then almost laughs at herself as if she were suggesting something patently impossible, "Or is your computer system so sophisticated that it is self-aware?"

Captain Sulu smiled slightly, "Yes, Madam President, the Enterprise's computer system, its AI, is self-aware."

"Number Five is alive," I hear the President comment more to herself, and realize she must be a movie buff after it took me .021 second to find the reference to a 20th century movie, Short Circuit. I will have to let the first M5 know about this when I get back.

"Madam President?" General Leftcourt asked and she waves him off.

"The point is we don't have to lose those ships, you can have them fight their first fair fight of the war," she went on, and the General took his cue getting them to let the Enterprise share its sensor readings.

I watch as the fight went longer than if I had been directly it, yet I do realize the importance to moral. They had won this encounter. Earth Force, with only a little outside help, had fought and won against an enemy that had bulled through them without seemingly slowing down.

The cheering despite the losses afterwards was heartfelt. Now instead of looking like they were facing extinction they had hope once more.

**Tag Team**

Enterprise A

It was as wonderful as M5B's logs showed it would be. It did help prepare our united strike force composed of one hundred Federation and Klingon vessels with the encountered two planets en route. Passing through the planets was quite the experience.

Now we're on the other side of the galaxy from home and ready to take the war to the Minbari.

Jim had seemed rather pensive through the flight and the look in his eyes showed he was thinking of the past. Sometimes it was merely musing, other times he was morning some loss. I wish there was something I could do but at these times I knew the best thing would be to remain silent. If Jim wanted to talk, he would do so, he'd often done so over the years I have served him.

I am not as close to him as Bones or Spock, but I do feel that I am regarded as family nevertheless.

Still, it has not given me reason to seek a 'proper' name as M5B has been thinking about. With Lieutenant Taganawa and Ensign Sulu's nicknames, plus what the President of Earth Alliance had mention that one movie, M5B is actually considering asking to be called 'Johnny.'

I hope our talk convinced him to not do so. We spent a good long ten seconds talking about it.

There was more time spent with Admiral Tapin discussing deployment of the fleet and I am glad he was open to my suggestions, although some of them had to be filtered through Jim. Not that he was solely my mouth piece, in fact a few of my suggestions were based off his musings.

Like covering the colonies. Since the Minbari had targeted all humanity, it is inevitable they will go after each human colony in existence. So the SCE will start heading to each one to, at minimum, place defense satellites in orbit and provide one shelter for the colony to hopefully hold out if we cannot have a ship in orbit to at least slow down an attack force.

With a six-light minute warning zone, it should give time for colonist to make it to shelters. If a ship is on orbit, transporters could be used to ferry colonist to shelters from the outskirts.

So the USS Trosper of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers went off with the fourteen vessels under Commodore Acaltha towards the colonies, three Klingon DX-7s and four Bird-of Preys went towards the Centauri-Minbari border, twenty of the ships, including General Leftcourt's, headed towards the midrange base at Proxima III.

Coming along with us, the USS Lincoln, Knowles, Sagittarius, Exeter, Thornwood and Suronn as we head towards Minbari space.

Everyone else with Admiral Tapin as they headed towards Earth.

"Mr. Five you know what to do if the Minbari try their hyperspace distortion stratagem?"

"Aye sir."

"Then open channels," he commanded and made sure the Minbari can receive our tachyon transmissions.

"This is Admiral James T. Kirk of the United Federation of planets presenting a formal declaration of war with the Minbari Federation because of hostile actions initiated in the sovereign territories of the UFP and the Klingon Empire."

As instructed earlier I now transmit the pre-recorded message from both the President and Chancellor across the entire sector using the tachyon protocols gleaned from Earth Alliance and Minbari databases.

Jim had more to say.

"As the dully appointed representative of the Federation, I must officially inform you that we have entered into an agreement with Earth Alliance. We demand that all Minbari forces are to be removed from Earth Alliance territories. If your aggression is continued within the borders of Earth Alliance territories, you will be ejected."

**Facta non verba!** (Deeds not words!)

Incoming.

I let Jim and the bridge crew know one Tinashi-class frigate along with several Nails fighters are inbound towards us from what has been identified as Outpost three.

"To all ships commence Operation Revelation. Repeat, Operation Revelation. Destroy all military and designated targets bases. Eliminate all resistance."

I had my orders and Jim's intent. That was all I need to know we're here to make a point and with the databases I have decrypted I have targets I shall take out in space and on the ground.

I noted our task force separated as instructed, the Constitution class ships, Exeter and Suronn, went to military base Designated Three, the Lincoln and Sagittarius, a mix of Constitution and the newer Constellation classes, to base Designated Two, with the Miranda class taking out the inbound craft and proceeding to Outpost Three.

Like the Thornwood and the Enterprise, the Oberth class Knowles went solo, its mission as a Starfleet Intelligence ship, was to gather information, be a mobile listening post.

I was to head to Designated One, the largest and most heavily defended of the Minbari midsize military ports. It was an area of central points of departure at the edge of their frontier, near the Batain star system.

With the new cloak, or even just 'warp-hop' strafing attacks, I could keep our identities a mystery, but Jim wanted them to know who is doing this so our first slow to a near stop let all the Minbari military as well as hundreds of small flyers, civilian transports and freighters see us before Plan Flying Dutchmen went into operation.

First it was my trademark move and fire, with starships having trouble evading me, these ships were practically stationary targets. I did 'dance' around them at first, weaving to show superior maneuverability and then used warp to strike at targets far apart from one another. Hit a ship here, warp to light-minutes from another target.

Nor was I done, it was time to show what the new cloak could do. Captain Uhura had shared that Intelligence believed the Klingons were developing something like this too, it will be interesting to see if they field it during this war.

In orbit of the planet, I cloaked and fired on military targets below, -after- the defense satellites were taken out of course. Pin point fire to show we -could- have taken out civilian targets but did not.

Once finished it was time to leave Captain Spock of the Lincoln in command of the task force while we move deeper into Minbari territory.

**Wake up call**

Enterprise A

Over the years serving Jim I had seen faces change on the Enterprise, however there was a comfort having the familiar ones year after year. I knew career wise they eventually would have to move on and with the stand-down before the war at best I hoped to keep up with messages sent.

Just as I was happy to see Sulu get his command of the Excelsior and now the Enterprise-B, so was I happy to see Uhura get the Knowles and Chekhov the Sagittarius. Both will make great Captains and Uhura will go far with Starfleet Intelligence. It is also good to have someone in that division we know we can trust.

Still as we go where no human has gone before into Minbari territory, I find I miss their familiar faces as they fight a more conventional war, even given our advantages.

Ones that will not include more ships with M5s, the Romulans are holding the Federation to the Accords and feels allowing two Enterprises on active duty is as far as they will allow the Accords to be bent.

So it is a lonely flight into Minbari territory, and a risky one in any case despite our advantages of warp drive. A cloak could fail, and the deeper we go the more likely we could get caught if that should happen, yet I agree with Jim, the risk would be worth it if we pull it off.

Plan Dutchmen is to feed into Operation Bloody Nose. So far in the hours that will stretch into days, we will strafe shipyards en route to where the Minbari should hopefully keep guessing about our eventual destination, although I agree with Jim after the third shipyard they will guess it is Minbar itself.

We cannot take on the fleet, not if the databases are correct about numbers, however the plan is to show how far we can drive our blade, and not try to win the war on our own.

It's a hit to their morale as well as an attempt to keep their eyes focusing inward instead of outward. It is to buy time for this other Earth to be fortified and its colonies protected or evacuated.

With the Trosper laying out six Starfleet class-one defense satellites in orbit of each colony they should provide some protection as much as Earth has right now. Hopefully Admiral Tapin's fleet deployment will add to that, at least a patrolling task force so that if a colony is attacked, the satellites will hold the enemy off until the force arrives.

To further help out, once Admiral Tapin is finished with Enterprise B, it will proceed to deep in the territory to hit shipyards as well, like us, to keep the enemy off balance.

Unlike us, they are not to be seen at all, I am to sometimes let us be seen. Hopefully this will lead the Minbari to think what the two of us are doing is being done by only one of us, me.

Both of us will perform a similar attack profile to further make it appear that there is but one attacker. Not only attacking from cloak, but after strafing the main target, beaming a bomb inside of it to detonate as we leave.

Tactics that could only work back home due to surprise. Once a shield goes up, the transporter as a weapons platform ceases.

Fortunately this side of the galaxy the advent of that kind of shielding has not been widespread.

We proceed unopposed, leaving devastation in our wake.

**Heart of Darkness**

Enterprise A

"That's a lot of ships," Jim says in a tone to both sum up in words what his crew in thinking, as well as making light of what we're seeing in the Minbar system.

"We'll wait until Captain Sulu has made his latest attack run, then we'll perform ours. Until then, I want as complete a study of this solar system as possible. One day the fleet -will- be here and the more we know now, the easier it will be on them then."

Then the signal. Captain Sulu has attacked and the count down begins before we start our attack. Targets had been selected, including what we believe to be a command ship, or -the- command ship. From the records I've read, the leadership called the Grey Council is onboard that vessel they call the Valen'tha.

"Go for shock value Mr. Five, we won't have time to be terribly effective."

"Aye Captain," I reply and begin my run. While remaining cloaked I hit the Valen'tha first, weapons and then drive. A few other ships I determined received more com traffic than others. A shipyard strike, the in orbit to hit a few defense platforms and several planetary defense centers.

This wasn't uncontested. True they were in shock, but given what Minbari psychology I know they are also enraged now and firing all over the place. Mass fire is very hard to dodge, fortunately it is where we were not rather than where we are.

"We've worn out our welcome, Mr. Five, get us out of here."

Fire and move this time was a combination of a few shots and then decloaking as another salvo went out while I spin the ship on its z-axis and warp away.

"Showoff," Jim says just loud enough for me to pick up.

Now I'll send to Captain Sulu our general course and according to plan he'll conduct an attack along that course to further the thought that one ship did all of this. One ship, one man.

Buying time for the fleet, and when its ready then the Minbari will know the cost of war.


	4. Duel

The M5 filesDuel

**79 years ago**

**Post-war blues**

Enterprise-B

It is now being called the 'One Year War' as the Minbari-Federation-Klingon-Gorn conflict had recently concluded. Explorations to the other side of the galaxy have started as relief efforts to that region in the aftermath is headed up by the SCE. Captain Sulu remains in command of the Enterprise-B, although we are en route to rendezvous with the Excelsior to temporarily return command to my scheduled first commander now that Captain Harriman is a well seasoned officer from the war.

I am well settled with my name as Johnny B, or as some even extend it as Johnny B Good. The latter is perhaps a hope that I will retail my excellent service to the Federation as I did during my time with the Earth Alliance. President Levy's comment about number five is alive, and the historical reference to the movie 'Short Circuit' lead me to asking if I could be called Johnny in the spirit of that movie.

Although Yoriko still calls me 'ai' at times as Demora continues to call me 'luv' off duty of course. Both have done very well during the war onboard me and I believe Yoriko will remain the liaison officer assigned to the Enterprise even though the war is over.

It had been nine months, two weeks, three days, four hours and twenty-two minutes since she decided to put on a Starfleet uniform as a liaison officer has the option to do. Especially as she did wish to join Starfleet.

Wearing the uniform made it official as the war wore on.

The involvement of the Vorlons distantly and the Romulans more actively had prolonged the conflict farther then initial projects by the Federation or either M5 unit.

One of the major concerns now that the war is over is the fact that the Romulans appear to have a greater understanding of hyperspace travel.

"So Starfleet Intelligence concurs?" I hear my Captain ask as the conference in his ready room draws to a close.

One the viewscreen, Admiral Nogora nods once, "I'm afraid so, Captain. We think the Romulans were coached by the Vorlons as part of their last ditch to help the Minbari stop us."

"The fact they can cloak in hyperspace and we cannot demonstrated one advantage alone they have over us, even if we were allowed to make our cloaking system fleetwide," the Admiral had shared a thought out loud what both men already knew.

"Just continue to watch your back Captain Sulu, the war is over, but it doesn't mean they won't keep gunning for the Enterprise," Admiral Nogora said in way of farewell, "Good luck."

"Although the subject of Starfleet intelligence was several sentences ago, shall I say speaking of them, do you wish me to set course for our rendezvous?" even as I ask I can tell the subtle facial and physiological signs that show my Captain's displeasure.

"I am sure it will be nice to see your first command again sir," I say by way of an attempt to cheer him up, "Although I will miss you Captain."

I was rewarded with a slight smile, "I suppose if I don't command a non-M5 ship I might lose my touch."

"As much as I wish you could stay with me as Captain Kirk has M5-A, I do not think current fleet climate will allow that," which is as close as we both will get to touch on the increasing missions Starfleet Intelligence wants to use for the only ship allowed a cloak.

During the war that seemed fine and natural, although several missions pushed my Captain's ethics to the limits.

That is why this arrangement of temporary re-assignment is not surprising.

While I estimate an only 54.73% probability our upcoming mission will be an intelligence mission, it has not been officially stated as such. It is just that the majority of Captain Harriman's assignments during the war had been for Starfleet Intelligence.

It is likely my next mission is a spy mission.

I had noted that when my Captain first assumed command of the Enterprise he and his daughter were uncomfortable with that arrangement. Now over he course of a year having served with each other that has diminished.

It explains why she is there in the transporter room to see him off. Her and now fellow Lieutenant Yoriko Saginaw of whom Demora has more of what I have heard and observed to be a more sisterly relationship with. Captain Sulu has engendered such as he treats Yoriko as a daughter during off duty times.

"We'll watch over Johnny," I see Demora almost say 'father.' After this year I have learned to recognize the signs where she would say it without uttering the actual words.

"And keep an eye on Captain Harriman," Yoriko interjected with a smile, it made a perfect segue to the semi-formal bow they gave each other that has been more of a running joke since Yoriko first did so on the bridge of this ship when she first met Captain Sulu.

"Alright, Johnny...B Good," if I had a face I would smile the pun used by Captain Sulu, "Energize."

One Captain leaves and another arrives, if ever I were to name a sense of déjà vu it would be now as by himself, Captain Harriman beams in.

**Silent Running**

Captain's log, Captain John Jason Harriman II recording. It is has been a good week of shake down getting the crew use to my style of command and for me to get actual experience commanding an M5 ship. It's not something many ship commanders in Starfleet will ever have in their careers, not if the M5 Accords are kept.

Now that I am satisfied that we are ready, we shall proceed on under cloak to where my mission orders send us. We will not be the first Federation starship to visit Romulus and Remans, we will be the first since Enterprise-A rescued Dr. McCoy from the Romulan Senate during his trial there.

Starfleet Intelligence has disturbing reports from some of our operatives on Romulus that only a starship sensor suite will be able to confirm.

"Status," I understand from the tone of Captain Harriman's voice that he doesn't want to hear it from me, but his first officer.

I see very briefly and minutely the expression of slight disapproval on Commander Tracy Dane's face as she rises from the center seat and replies.

From her time aboard I know it is not so much loyalty to me and my capabilities as she is an officer who believes in efficiency. To ask her when I could give a more accurate report would disturb her sensibilities.

"Cloak is still operational and we have passed the Neutral zone. So far no indication that we had been spotted either in real or hyperspace by Romulan sensors," she replied in her own manner of clip efficiency.

"Thank you Commander Dane," from my audiometric analysis there is a low 24.53% probability he knows her implied criticism but chooses to ignore it.

I know from both personal and Captain's log that he has never mentioned it, but in the short time he has been aboard there have been 57 instances where he had looked at her as if in speculation and not of the romantic kind as I have observed among humanity and similar life forms.

"Tuvok when we reach the double-planet are you set for pole-to-pole mapping?" he ask not even looking at our science officer who I clearly see, in his own Vulcan way, he is displeased with this mission and being asked about a matter it should have been a given that he was already prepared.

"I am Captain Harriman."

I spot Demora and Yoriko exchange a glance, nothing more.

"Ready for the orbit insertion, Lieutenant?" Harriman asked Demora, who now turned and unlike the others, she didn't hide her surprise.

"Sir?"

"I am sure I was clear enough, are you ready to insert us in orbit when we arrive?" I can tell from his tone he is not talking about being prepared to do so, but actually doing so.

That makes me wonder and I review all the preparations over the time he has been my commander for a full 300 microseconds and come to a disturbing conclusion.

It would be another day before I have any confirmation of my speculation.

"Romulus and Remans," I hear Demora utter quietly to herself as the double-planet system comes into view.

The last day had been tense onboard, with a few instances we believed we might have been spotted. I am proud that I was able to get the ship past the detection grid. In some cases it wasn't a matter of piloting, but of receiving and sending back a false signal, or in one case hacking into an unshielded system, which was down for repairs, and telling it we were a freighter instead of Federation starship.

"M5," I note, not 'Mr. 5' as tradition calls for or 'Johnny, Johnny B, or Johnny B Good,' as others have used, "Engage Protocol Mute Running."

It was the last memory I had for what would be five hours, twenty-three minutes, six seconds.

In the one thousand milliseconds I had of consciousness left to me before disconnect from Enterprise control prior to shut down, I consider that this mission was not one that Starfleet Intelligence wanted a running record of.

**Archer's Legacy**

Booting up during battle is not a recommended procedure I am tempted to say out loud. However after the first 500 milliseconds I have access the current situation I decide silence would be golden as the saying goes.

We are in combat, much of the Enterprise is damaged and we are being pursued by one Romulan and two Vorlon ships.

Currently we traveling in hyperspace which is why the Romulan fleet is not after us. From a review of events when I was offline, the hyperspace capable warbirds were disabled during the operation.

That was one of the few success stories, it will take Starfleet Command to decide if they outweigh the stories of loss.

Dr. Michaels and his medical staff are dead, and as far as combat useful systems go, the severe damage to tractor beam emitters is not of current concern as the as the fact the photon torpedo launchers are also gone.

I would calculate with a 92.3% certainty that precise marksmanship is the cause of this damage. That confirms raises the likelihood that the chasing Romulan ship is the IRW Tomed.

That ship had been noted for their precision firing, intelligence speculated due to a mind-to-machine interface similar to the Romulan drone program of a century before, making use of Remans now.

This reflected an intelligence gain, as did and the Vorlon currently in the ship's brig.

Another of the loss would be the damage to my sensor arrays, making what should have been an easy task of identifying our pursuers a difficult one.

Despite degraded sensor capacity, from the distinctly avian semblance with a flat thick neck reaching forward to the main section, holding two nacelles via wing-like supports, I have an 88% match to the new Ivarix-class warbirds the Romulans are reported to gearing up to field as their starships-of-the-line.

A brief .01 second confirmation of location from both Federation and Romulan hyperspace beacon system and I know we are just now crossing the neutral zone.

This confirms to me with an 99.998% probability of why I was brought back online. Where ever the mission had likely crossed into semi-legal, which translates to semi-illegal, parameters, we now may act legally.

"Tuvok tell me you didn't make a mistake with that other Starfleet signature?" Harriman yells across the bridge. Degraded sensor interface or not, I can tell clearly that Tuvok was not happy having his competency questioned.

"We are, although the Starfleet signature is not clear on class of starship," he reminded him.

"Captain I am reading a Starfleet transponder, but it is one listed as retired..." I didn't need clear sensors to spot the smile of relief on Janice Rand's face.

The reason of that relief is one I feel as well from as I also note whose transponder that is.

"It's the Enterprise," she says and of course we know she means the Enterprise-A, retired and technically renamed Archer's Legacy.

"Legacy," Harriman immediately corrects her, "That's Archer's Legacy Commander, not the Enterprise."

"Where is Excelsior? She's supposed to be our back up," he was agitated that he had only a retired Starfleet ship, which surprises me as it is another M5.

"Not within sensor range," Tuvok reported.

"Five?"

"Confirmed, USS Excelsior is not in sensor range, SS Archer's Legacy is. I also note we are off course."

"Meaning the Excelsior could be right where she's supposed to be but we're not," John Harriman said bitterly.

"Jump into real space, hail the Legacy," and I see him turn to Janice, "Lieutenant Commander go and see to your injuries."

"With what medic?" I hear her mutter sarcastically under her breath, too softly for Harriman to pick up.

"Opening jump point. Real space in five...four...three...two...one...Vorlons firing!"

However we were not the target.

**Vorlons on the starboard bow**

Archer's Legacy, formerly the Enterprise-A

"Good job Mr. Five!" I hear Jim congratulate me as my shields hold for the initial bombardment of Vorlon fire. Fortunately I was able to assess the situation in the mere .132 second of sensor readings I had to analyze when the jump point formed.

"Vorlon vessels changing course from the Enterprise to us," I announce as I also note the Enterprise's state of damage.

"Seems we made an impression during the war Five, let's see if we can use that to our advantage. Draw them off the Enterprise, she could use the relief it looks like."

"Aye, aye, sir, drawing them off," I reply hearing the small twinkle in Jim's voice as he spoke the one name that seemed to have an almost magical effect with him.

"Scotty, Chekov, we're about to take more fire, secure yourselves or come up to the Bridge," Jim said after hitting the com button of his chair.

The two were accompanying him to an orbital re-entry competition as part of his ground crew. I would have acted as his high guard, ready to transport in case of trouble. A position that in theory that was not suppose to be needed as it was typically covered by the sponsors of a competition.

Still I liked how Jim made the arrangements in order to put me on his team according the books.

Now to the Vorlons. We know from the war they were particularly wary of photon torpedoes, which is a shame that I had none onboard. Along with the cloak, the torpedoes were removed upon my retirement.

However they don't know that and a while it cost a series of probes, the evasive pattern the two Vorlon ships took was more than satisfactory for my plans.

Divide and conquer as more than one tactician had phrased it, defeat in detail as others have.

Given the amount of ...resentments Jim had earned over the years, Starfleet did leave us teeth in the form of our phaser banks for me to tear into the one Vorlon transport. As planned the other sought to flee what it would soon discover were mere probes.

At 1.05 second intervals I trigger volley after volley of phaser fire as I move around the injured Vorlon ship, wounding it further as I burn craters into what other polities would have termed a warcraft, but since the war we found out it a 'mere' armed transport.

"Looks like the information from the Metrons was right on the money. Only transports, no warships allowed in our neck of the woods. Good and even better that we know how to hurt them," I hear Jim say more to Pavel and Scotty than to me.

"Aye, Spock certainly taught us a trick or two about their organic ships and phaser frequencies," Scotty remarked, "we can hurt the wee beasties."

"About now..." Jim said matching my estimate of when the other Vorlon transport would discover my ruse and turn back to attack us.

"Vhat about the Enterprise? She can still fight?" Pavel must be excited, his 'Ws' were sounding like 'Vs.'

"The Enterprise is severely damaged and currently engaged with the IRW Tomed," I update the two men who recently came to the bridge.

"Aye, the poor lass has taken a beating," I note that Scotty always refers to the ship in the feminine regardless of the decidedly male persona of its M5, be it me or M5-B.

I do note .00029 second later that I still refer to the other M5 by his designation and not appellation of Johnny.

I followed his reasoning for the name, even the evolution due to his talks with Demora and Yoriko and their pet names for him, I still think it is inappropriate for either of us to have a sobriquet.

Perhaps there is more Spock in me than I realize.

Jim has an idea, I can see it on his face a full .083 second before he utters it.

"Five I know we don't have torpedoes, but the Enterprise does, its just its launchers are out right?"

With that sort of lead in it only takes 0.012 second to arrive where Jim obviously had previously in his thoughts.

Another 1.00175 seconds later both Pavel and Scotty did as well.

"I can see from your faces gentlemen you already want to say the word 'insane' but have been with me too long to say it," Jim mused with a smile.

"A close pass with shield drop and transporter pickup would let me acquire the torpedoes to finish this fight."

"I'm sure Sulu will take the risk," Jim said with such certainty that I hated to correct him.

"Captain Sulu isn't in command," and rush on as I see they are thinking the worse, "He was temporarily re-assigned back to the Excelsior while a Captain Harriman assumed command for mission in Romulan space."

"Well John did follow my lead often in the war, let's hope he does now," and it didn't take an audiometric analysis to discern both the confidence and concern in Jim's voice.

Jim's putting aside his concern about why substitute Hikaru and focused on the confidence that Captain Harriman will follow what he has to suggest.

Suggest since he's retired, and can't order with seniority.

"Pass on the plan to Johnny and open a channel, Mr. Five," Jim orders and not suggest.

**Then there was one**

Enterprise-B

"He wants to what?" Captain Harriman asks of the relief com officer, Lieutenant Ramesh Kanchumurthi, while the Captain is leaving it to me to keep us alive, he still has the tendency to look to his biological crew for functions that in combat perhaps I should be taking care of.

I find M5-A's plan a brilliant use of resources, then take a full 034 second to recover my composure, when I find it was actually Captain Kirk's plan.

M5-A did say to never underestimate biochemical intelligences. I need to take that to heart.

"Since our launchers are down, he wants to complete a fly-by to transporter range with us, and briefly drop the shields to transport over a load to his ship," Ramesh was trying to sound professional in the face of both this adversity and the absurdity of the plan.

"Mr. Five can you do this and keep us alive?" Captain Harriman truly is unsure, but also knows that the Vorlon craft teaming up on the Legacy would finish it and then we would be next.

"Yes, Captain I can do that," I try in my most reassuring voice for his temperament.

"Do it then. He's a legend, and he's never failed before," I can hear his confidence rise as I speculate he is thinking back to both Captain Kirk's record and the time he personally served under him.

It was a very long 1.23 seconds as we dropped shields, transported and raised them with enemies not quite sure which of the ships they have identified as an Enterprise to fire at.

Captain Kirk's reputation draws them to fire at him, but in the moment of indecision the Legacy's shields are back up as we fly by each other.

I can model instead of imagine what that spin of the Legacy must be like to the three men onboard. However the spin-and-fire at the two Vorlons finishes them with that dual salvo of torpedoes.

"My god," John Harriman sums up what many feel as we see how the Vorlons did not leave this existence gracefully.

Perhaps that is why a single salvo to each had finished them. They had focused their fire to the Legacy's nacelles, which with a plus or minus 03.63 % out of 91% likelihood that they were hoping to cripple the ship and finish it once its maneuverability was restricted.

I continue firing on the Tomed as I watch with horror as the Legacy continues to spin with its thrusters and impulse drive attempting to arrest its spiral, plasma trailing behind from both nacelles.

"No tractor beam!" Harriman says with frustration and I note he is no longer thinking about the fight with the Tomed. Either a point to him for confidence in me, or he is too concerned about the Legacy and more importantly Captain James T. Kirk.

M5-A does bring the ship out of its spin and races back to me under impulse. Since this fight has been in sublight impulse drive will allow the Legacy to remain viable and valuable in the coming team-up against the warbird.

One the commander of the Tomed, Aventeer Vokar, has acknowledged that it is now two M5s, albeit crippled ones, but two of us nonetheless against his sole warbird.

His turn and run into hyperspace matches the 97.85% of the models both of M5-A and myself ran where the Tomed had a chance of survival.

From the personality type that Vokar is I also calculate a 99.991% likelihood he will want a rematch.

**Legends, Legacy and Loss**

"Sir? We're receiving a distress call," from the stress levels in Ramish's voice he had counted on me to speak up.

"We're hardly in any condition to help anyone, Lieutenant," Harriman reproached his current Communication officer.

Now it was the time for me to speak up, albeit not necessarily to undermine the Captain's position, "Legacy on the line, sir."

I only needed a nod to put Captain Kirk on, "John, I'm picking up a distress call too." Spoken as if it was a given, and not leaving Captain Harriman much room to maneuver, "We're in bad shape, but we're the only ones in the area to make a difference."

"Agreed Captain Kirk," analysis shows Harriman does not wish to let down his idol, which from the expressions around the bridge, especially Demora and Yoriko, lets me know I am not alone in thinking that if Captain Kirk had not been here, we would have ignored the distress call.

In fact some regulations during an intelligence mission would support such a decision on Captain Harriman's part.

"Mr. Sulu," I do not inwardly sigh I am still out of the loop in Harriman's eyes, "Set course and follow the Legacy."

"Aye sir, following the Legacy," Demora says very professionally. I believe her father would be proud of her.

"Well?" Captain Harriman asks after transport is over.

"Both retired officers are onboard," Ramish reported, "Captain Scott is headed towards engineering to help, Commander Chekov will serve as a makeshift medical officer."

"Approaching Federation transport ships, SS Lakul and Robert Fox," Demora interjects and I am already scanning along with Mr. Tuvok before the Captain even asks.

"Mr. Tuvok, just what are we looking at?"

I am beyond even internal sighs as Tuvok shares our findings, "It is a nonlinear temporal phenomenon as best as I or Mr. Five could make out, Captain."

"Time portal?" Captain Harriman guesses.

"Unlikely. This is unlike what has been encountered that would transport a vessel in time."

"Detonation, SS Robert Fox," I interrupt the speculations.

"It's destructive that's for certain. Sulu sprint us over there, we won't be in time if we stick to impulse us," then I see on his face a brief grimace and know a change of orders was coming, "Belay that. We need precision for the sprint, Mr. Five take us in to transporter range. We won't lose another transport."

Within the next 10.54 seconds we are in position and I attempt transport.

I have often heard from M5-A of the skills of Captain Scott, and it was here and now with him monitoring the transport I saw them come into play as I work with him to recover two patterns that were loss to the energy distortion.

With them it meant we would save only forty-seven of the passengers of the SS Lakul before the ship joined the SS Robert Fox in destruction.

We did save the two passengers, only to find we might have only prolonged their lives not save them.

"I am unable to break free, Captain," I announce as the Enterprise begins to shake.

"Enterprise this is Kirk, standby, we'll pull you out with a tractor beam," the voice of James T. Kirk was never so welcomed. Archer's Legacy had caught up with us.

27.503 seconds to pull us free. To either myself or M5-A, an eternity in combat or crisis, especially to AI intelligences capable of awareness at the microsecond levels.

It was to be the longest 27.503 seconds in my existence and to the history of the Federation.

We only had 0.0042 second to say goodbye as M5A informed me of his Captain commanding the Enterprise-A, as I will refer to the Archer's Legacy in this last act.

They swing us around, each Enterprise at the end of the tractor beam so it took our place in the phenomena and subsequently vanished into it, apparently completely vaporized.

Every eye on the bridge, in engineering and medical, for I did let the two men who had served with both Kirk and M5-A watch their last act that saved our lives at the cost of their own.

**60 years ago**

**Sometimes the bear gets you**

Captain's log, Captain Sulu recording. Despite the years of my settling in with having my daughter as my first officer, I cannot decide if I was proud or disgusted with myself for how detached I appeared to the crew while she leads a duck blind mission on Planet Koltaari. Disguised as natives, they attempted to discover the source of a planet-wide dampening field that the pre-warp natives should not have the technology to create.

"Tomed descending into the atmosphere, torpedoes firing sir!" Yoriko barely kept her voice below what I would label on my decibel scale as a shriek. Her shout carried the sense of urgency that my Captain didn't need as the Romulan's hand was revealed. They were bombing the planet.

"We know the who now Mr. Tuvok, let's see about making sure we survive to tell the tale," I hear in my Captain's voice the rock-steady determination to save both the landing party and his crew as the Tomed was not alone.

Commander Vokar had become Fleet Admiral Vokar over the years since our initial run in and subsequent off-and-on-again clashes.

Stressing the -Fleet- in Fleet Admiral he had one along with the Tomed to make sure we are the ones who limp away or as he had stated more than once over the years of our association, turned into a cloud of plasma.

I have to wonder about the morale or loyalty of the crews of the ships that keep coming with him.

In an one-on-one even the Tomed is no match for me, however the Tomed has never taken me on by itself. Be it the first time we met with a pair of Vorlon transports, or the encounters afterwards with typically four-to-one, if not more, odds against.

With all of those engagements it is typically only the Tomed to survive and that is typically because of Vokar's willingness to sacrifice others for his own survival.

Having the Praetor as a patron must be the manner to which he is constantly given more ships to lose to me.

Except now.

"Johnny get the landing party aboard and then take us up to thin out the opposition," he had already come to the same conclusion as I had, hit and run is the approach that will serve us best here. A classic one that dates back to M5-A's wargames against four Constitution class starships.

Vokar likely knew our method, it was only with numbers could he hope to win this one, which according to the 4400 possible scenarios I have run right now, taking into account how many ships he has to our one, he is likely to win. But we can hurt him quite a lot before we retreat.

"Landing party aboard sir," I inform my Captain as I seek the high ground in the gravity well of a planetary orbit. Vokar bringing his fleet in was a brilliant move -if- I stay below him. If I reach high orbit above him his numerical advantage is somewhat offset.

Apparently the Romulans never developed the technology to fire while cloaked, and equally apparent that the secret died with Chang during the One Year War since the Klingons do not posses it either. This left the advantage solely my own as I race up through the fleet of warbirds, firing as I go to gain the altitude over them.

Spinning on my axis I begin firing, taking into account where they could go based on current vectors, I generate firing solutions for my photon torpedoes.

"Ready to fire," I inform my Captain and I am moved by his trust in me as he uttered one single word.

"Fire."

Precision has ever been a hallmark of the M5 and it is especially important today as a miss means a hit on the planet below.

One that we will have to abandon in any case as I can damage the fleet, possibly cripple it, but I cannot defeat it.

Planet Koltaari now belongs to the Romulan Star Empire.

**End of the Universe**

Captain's Log, Captain Sulu recording. It is an exciting day for the Federation. The Enterprise currently awaits the other ships arrivals for the testing of the latest advance in hyperspace travel in a region of space called Bonneville Flats. An area commonly used by Starfleet in order to test new propulsion systems. The region was named for the Bonneville Salt Flats on Earth, where wheeled vehicles were once tested that were able to travel at 300 km/hr.

It is a region of both successes and failures, however I am ill at ease now that Romulan territory is close enough for them to gain long range scans of the area. Yet Starfleet is adamant it will not back down and the test will go on as scheduled.

"It is a marriage between your hyperspace and our warp drive technologies that is called 'Hyperwarp.'" I hear Tuvok explain to Yoriko as both she and Demora listen in as we wait for the arrival of the test bed ship for this blend of hyperspace and subspace physics.

"It is good seeing Captain Harriman when he is not involved with Starfleet Intelligence," Janice comments and I note sincere nods of heads in harmony to the physiological readings indicative of humanoids in truthful states.

"Contact," I report, "NX-2929, USS Universe with escorts USS Ad Astra and USS Canaveral."

Demora doesn't summon her father to the bridge as she knows that the report I just gave her, he also received at the same time.

Hikaru walks off the turbolift soon afterwards, as usual with his gait, I note a mix of dignity and serenity, a calm in any storm.

"On screen," he says sitting down knowing his traditional cup of tea would soon be arriving.

While all of us recognize the new Constellation class and the reliable Oberth class ships respectively, it is the first time outside of my database that we get a look at the USS Universe's design.

I hear more than one crewmember comment how it has a slightly unorthodox design.

With the saucer section possessing a long narrow ellipse, with no raise at the middle, that connects directly to the secondary hull, another long narrow ellipse. Two wide thin nacelles extended from the secondary hull giving the ship as a whole had a very wide beam and shallow depth.

"So where exactly does Captain Harriman fit into all of this?" Yoriko asks the bridge in general instead of either me or Captain Sulu specifically.

In truth neither of us knew.

"Contact. NCC-26291, USS Ares," I report and receive a signal, "Receiving hail, Captain."

I let Janice have the dubious honor of announcing this caller, "It's Captain Harriman, sir."

"On screen," Hikaru's voice was deep and resonating as usual, it didn't betray the suspicion that both I and Demora picked up in it.

"Captain Sulu," John Harriman greeted with a smile.

"Captain Harriman," Hikaru replied with only a hint of one for propriety sake, "A Miranda class ship, congratulations."

"Only temporary duty Captain. Again I go where the Fleet wants me," I notice his reply sends a ripple around the bridge crew, a change in their physiological states that I have come to know matches the emotional state of disappointment.

Demora sums up the reason with her interjection into the conversation, "You're still with Starfleet Intelligence."

"All on the same side Commander Sulu."

"Yes I suppose we are Captain," Hikaru replies for his daughter.

"Perhaps we'll talk later Captain, Harriman out."

"Ready Captain Sulu?" the call from Captain Adrienne Kuwano of the Universe came later, "You're my tail end charlie bringing up my six."

I note on the mission formation that we would be following from behind, the Ad Astra flanking the Universe, with the Canaveral further back, but unlike our place in the formation it will not be as escort, but gathering sensor data. They will also act akin to the old Mission Control of the days of NASA.

"Odd," was all Hikaru had to say when the formation was updated with the Ares' position of escort for the Canaveral.

It wasn't so strange after the Universe opened jump point and the formation into hyperspace.

"Contact, IRW Tomed, at extreme sensor range," I announce as soon as I identified the sensor signature.

"Why are you showing yourself?" Hikaru asked the question all of us were likely thinking. The Romulans have shown to be able to sustain a cloak in hyperspace, unlike the Federation or the Klingon Empire.

"It is possible that in order to extend their sensor range they could not maintain an effective cloak," Tuvok suggested as I began running models to display the results on his console. I can see from how I know to read Vulcans that he is pleased the models bare out his theory.

"Ares pulling out of formation, and moving to flank the Universe opposite the Ad Astra," I both announce and update a plot that I am ready for when Hikaru gives the expected order.

"On screen."

"Lot of com traffic," Janice informs the bridge, "Canaveral wants to know why the Ares changed course, as does Ad Astra. I have Captain Breshar online sir."

Demora smiled, and I believed I knew why within a reasonable 99.587% certainty. She considers Captain Jack Breshar "old space dog" as she had put it more than once.

Hikaru smiled as Jack Breshar was indeed an old colleague of his.

"Hikaru."

"Jack."

"Seems my escort has high tailed it to get closer to the prize lady," he said referring to the Universe, "Care to hang further back to watch my backside? We got the update and while I personally am not worried about the Tomed, Starfleet might be put out if I lost the data with all hands if they're in trigger happy mood like they were around Koltaari."

"We'll see what we can do to keep the data safe, and we'll add your ship to the list," Hikaru bantered back as I noticed both men were tense, however they were keeping things light for morale sake. Their own as well as their crews.

"Keep in touch Jack, Sulu out," as he sometimes did when addressing me, his eyes went ceiling ward as if I were truly up there and not occupying the space of the ship's computer decks below, "Johnny, position us. If Tomed makes a move, I want it countered."

I could tell the next kilosecond was a very long time for humans as they were measuring the sixteen point seven minutes subjectively and then it was time for the Universe to make history.

"Datastream established, monitoring in real-time," my voice was a welcomed one despite the tension my scans showed the bridge crew experiencing, "Hyperwarp point one, point two, point three..." there was a sense of excitement that if I were to wax lyrical I would say set the air afire on the bridge.

Then it all vanished in a moment, "Detonation!"

Experienced flying in hyperspace I turned into the shockwave that propagated from the center of the blast that was the USS Universe.

"Lost contact, USS Universe, USS Ares, USS Ad Astra, USS Canaveral, IRW Tomed..." I listed and removed each ship icon from the plot as the shockwave tossed everyone not secure across the decks from one to seventeen. In some cases I pinned them in place by increasing the gravity. Yes it would hurt them, but not as much as tossing around would have.

Dispatching medical teams was one of the first things I did along with damage control and I was ready when my Captain cleared his voice enough to say, "Report!"

It would be a while before we found out the USS Universe was lost with all hands as it went to Hyperwarp one.

**Hunt for Red Tomed**

"Welcome back Captain Harriman," Commander Demora Sulu said with a professional voice that held no warmth for the man standing in my main transporter room along with two other Starfleet operatives.

"Why don't I feel welcome, Commander?" Harriman's voice barely betrays his own self-loathing as this ship reminds him of what he blames himself as the loss of his hero James Kirk.

"The Captain sends his apologies with ship business keeping him from meeting you upon your arrival sir," I see it wasn't lost on Harriman or the other two operatives, Elias Vaughn and Drysi Gravenor that Demora didn't address his question, nor was it going to be answered politely.

Harriman accepted the situation and didn't push for what he wasn't going to get.

"Well then, why don't you show us to our quarters, Commander, let's get settled in," Harriman suggested and Demora obeyed the informal order.

"So are we cleared yet to find out what the Ares had been doing at the Universe's test?" she asked what we both wanted to know.

"Commander that was over a month ago," Harriman needless reminded her, or myself, although I was reasonably certain he wasn't even considering me apart of the conversation.

"That would be a no," she went on to say and since he didn't comment or more importantly reprimand, I could tell a good .37 second before she spoke that she wanted to clear the air as another saying went.

"The Canarval is out of drydock in a day, the Ad Astra will be in for the next six months, yet the Ares seemed barely without a scratch," she all but accused him.

"Same as the Enterprise," he countered as they arrived at his assigned quarters, "See you at the briefing Commander." And that was the end of that conversation as he walked in.

Demora escorted the other two to their quarters and left in more a stalk than a stride.

The briefing as ... interesting, although in the way our progenitor might have called fascinating. Some of it was a review, how the Romulans thought our hyperwarp test was a of a Starfleet metaweapon, metaweapons on the international banned list so that upset the Klingons and Tholians as well.

With the Klingons declaring that they will fight for peace, which translates to mean they will declare war on whichever side makes the first strike, tensions have been at an all time high since the One Year War over nineteen years ago.

"Now to what this is about...as you know Admiral Vokar is a known Romulan chauvinist, and extremist in his imperial views. Well it seems that as of twenty-four hours ago he went what the Romulans code as Red. This means renegade and it is believed he is out to either find our next 'metaweapon' or more likely spark a war where we will have to fight the Romulan Star Empire," Harriman informed us and had more to say.

"As you may recall nineteen years ago I took the Enterprise to Romulus and we brought back a Vorlon. This was one who actually sympathized with us over his own people. While he won't turn actively against them, he has been advising us with what his people likely will give the Romulans," which was news to me although I knew the Vorlon I discovered in the brig when I was brought back online was not classified as a prisoner at the time.

This has been indeed a well kept secret in the Federation.

Harriman downloaded a file into the briefing room input port, it took me .021 second to scan completely the data so I was waiting for him to bring the others up to speed. They weren't going to like this, "There are layers to hyperspace, and apparently the Tomed will use what the Vorlon advisors had shared with the Star Empire regarding traveling in the deeper layers to help with a sneak attack into Federation space."

I saw Hikaru had figured out what he wasn't going to like, "We're bait."

"Yes, the Enterprise has history with the Tomed and its no secret Vokar wants to turn this ship into vapor."

Starfleet did not hang us out to dry as some of the crew had phrased it. The USS Ares would follow us in hyperspace, and the USS Agamemnon would be nearby during our mission.

A mission that couldn't say 'We-are-Bait' but it was one regardless.

We are to proceed to the Neutral Zone and rendezvous with the IRW Honor Blade, which will escort us to the peace negotiations where the specifications of the USS Universe will be given to both the Romulans and Klingons to prove that the project was never intended for use as a metaweapon.

So if Vokar wants to use the test as a reason for war he will have to make sure we don't arrive at the negotiations.

"So Hikaru-san, you have met the Commander of the Honor Blade," Yoriko asks when she, Hikaru and Demora are having a private meal. Hikaru smiles and I find I envy him the memory as I know the name of the Commander and her history with the first M5.

"Commander Liviana Charvanek commanded the small fleet that intercepted the Enterprise-A when we 'accidentally' crossed the Neutral Zone," he began and shared through the meal the adventure as well as the fall from grace of the Commander meeting her relation Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu and who shared a warped mirror image relationship with Captain Kirk's Enterprise as Admiral Vokar does with our Enterprise.

"But less adversarial," Demora clarified, "She and Uncle Jim became good friends, and rumors say she became another of Kirk's women."

"Demora..." came the warning for respect that was warm yet stern.

"Father, I understood every woman back then dreamed he'd visit their planet in a 'time of need.'"

Slightly more than polite laughter went around the table. Reading Hikaru I knew he would appreciate a conversation change and I had one with a logical segue, "There is a 68.3% probability she will be following in hyperspace aboard the IRW Bloodwing given the relationship she has with Commander Chavanek and current political climate where the Commander could not be overtly be acted against, yet by not supporting her with ships she could be left a renegade who might just happen to fire upon her while engaging us."

I had not intended to turn the light mood to a somber one, however I now have an excellent personal example to understand the saying of humanity's regarding good intensions and paving roads.

Captain's Log, four hours after rendezvous with IRW Honor Blade. We're en route to Algeron and I cannot help but worry about why Captain Harriman and his team are onboard my ship. They aren't needed for the negotiations and Captain Harriman is a most unlikely communications officer, and yet he has taken that post on my bridge, locking my M5 out of monitoring what he does through the system as well as having the visual sensors on the bridge offline.

"Contact, IRW Tomed," I inform the bridge crew feeling odd as talk to them without seeing them, "Contact lost."

"They came to an 'upper' layer of hyperspace to spot us and then went deeper," Tuvok explained as I had more news.

"Contact, USS Ares, matching maneuvers."

"Shadowing the Tomed?" I hear Hikaru ask Harriman.

"Yes, Captain. It's insurance."

"So that means we also know about the deeper regions," Demora speculated, her voice accusing from what I measured in her tone.

"Starfleet intelligence has a guide aboard," Harriman informed us, and I was sure that the others came to the same conclusion as I did, however Yoriko felt someone should say it.

"The Vorlon."

"Yes, Lieutenant, the Vorlon. He won't tell us about such regions, but he will act as guide."

From the heartbeat and intake of breath, I can tell that Harriman now knows I know. However one didn't need my level of sensor capacity to tell he was upset.

"Problem Mister Harriman?" Hikaru asked, and now Harriman's heartbeat increased.

"Mr. Five will likely tell you that we are in intermittent communications with the Foxtrot outpost."

"Johnny?"

"Confirmed sir. Now that I know what to look for, we have been sending subspace pulses to the outpost situated in hyperspace specifically for the last ten point eight kiloseconds."

"Three hours," Hikaru mused out loud.

"Another pulse, signal differs in modulation," I report and pick up another change in Harriman's heartbeat.

"Engage mute running protocols," which as I go offline I wonder what sort of damage I will come back online to as I calculate we are bait and now Captain Harriman wants to make sure the Tomed takes it.

I see out of the 2300 models I ran, 2100 were close to accurate to the damage I would come back online to. However only 1200 of them predicted I would find myself in hyperspace.

It takes a very long 2.006 seconds to locate the Tomed, the Ares and the Honor Blade. The latter two appear crippled and drifting. Bridge visual is restored and I note smoke, damage control teams and medics.

I also note that Captain Harriman is not present and there has been transporter activity. He and his team went to the Ares at one point.

"Tomed moving off," I report, "Projected course to Foxtrot Sector. I also detect a failing containment field of their quantum singularity that powers their warp drive."

"Ares is too damaged to follow, Honor Blade attempting to but can only manage .15c with the current state of their impulse drive. Our maximum is .25c."

"Tell the Blade to pursue, and let them know we're going after the Tomed as well, Johnny. Any other ships in the region?"

"USS Agamemnon should be in the Foxtrot Sector."

"Inform them for an intercept and continue on after the Tomed Johnny, best possible speed."

"Fly her apart?" it is one bit of levity I offer in the midst of no warp drive, a few phaser banks and one torpedo launcher still active.

"Fly her apart then," I see not only my Captain but a few veteran faces smile given words Hikaru had spoken before both on this ship and his first command, the Excelsior.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Johnny," it had been a tense hour with this stern chase and we had lost sight of the Tomed more than once.

"I am receiving a datastream, an Intelligence update from the Ares," it really only takes me .021 second of the full second pause I take for human comprehension to understand I am assimilating the new data, "I can navigate the deeper layers of hyperspace."

"Then follow them Johnny, where ever the Tomed goes."

It turned into a kilosecond of hide-and-seek before I finally reacquired the Tomed. The gravitic eddies and currents of hyperspace made it easy to lose the ship even given their failing containment field.

However the failing field did have what Admiral Vokar no doubt saw as an advantage. With distance, it masked his ships movements sufficiently that I could not discern weapon power ups or firing solutions.

In effect, they could fire first and hit before I knew it.

Vokar kept the Tomed at the distance, which slowed his entry into the Foxtrot Sector, and gave the USS Agamemnon time to take up a position so that it could act as a rapid response force to any of the thirteen Foxtrot stations that picketed this area of the Neutral zone.

I was 99.587% sure that one of the stations was the Tomed's destination and why.

"Open a hole?" Hikaru said after one tense exchange of torpedoes. When had been moving, trading volleys as if the Tomed and Enterprise were joined on a tether, each whirling around each other, joined yet staying at a distance.

It had been the third exchange of torpedoes so far.

With their failing system they did not have much longer to play this game and both my Captain and I realize why.

"Charge them Mr. Five, they'll just waiting to die and take us with them."

I could see Yoriko's unspoken question, one Tuvok also noticed and addressed, "In hyperspace the loss of containment of their quantum singularity would magnify the intensity of the shockwave from an explosion. In fact, right now it would severely damage if not destroy all thirteen Foxtrot stations."

"Which is why we have to end this and now," my Captain states with iron-clad certainty.

At first the Tomed continued to move away as I charged at it, then I suspect Vokar realized what I was doing, herding him away from the Foxtrot stations.

"Johnny am I correct in assuming we can escape the blast if we drop into real space?"

"Yes Captain, although depending on how soon or close our jump point is, part of the blast might follow us out."

"Warn the Agamemnon, charge every weapon you have Johnny, charge and fire, and then drop."

It almost went as planned.

While precision is the hallmark of an M5, firing essentially blindly into a region I know the Tomed to be in but is obscured by its failing containment field, I only know by inference of debris what I hit.

One nacelle, part of the mount and a reaction control thruster assembly is the tally before I detect a plasma bolt headed in our direction.

My charge may have doomed us all. It will take 2.035 seconds to open a jump point and only 1.05 seconds for the bolt to hit us with a likely crippling blow.

It was a mask for what I should have seen coming, "Containment field failure in 2.007 seconds!"

"Contact, IRW Bloodwing, jump point forming to real space."

"Go Johnny, go!" Hikaru ordered and I pour on the thrust from my damaged engines and shoot through the opening the Bloodwing had created. I note it followed just as the Tomed detonated.

**Passing on the Torch**

Personal log, 43.2 kiloseconds after what is called by the diplomatic community as the Tomed Incident. It turned out that the Tomed's destruction did take out all thirteen Foxtrot stations in hyperspace as well as the USS Agamemnon. It would have left the Foxtrot Sector open to the fleet of Romulan ships that Vokar had positioned ready to take advantage of the such an opening.

However I was able to send a warning to Starfleet as well as an updated likely invasion route the Romulan fleet were going to take.

Sending it in the clear let the Romulans know that Starfleet would know and while they were able to push into Federation space, a fleet halted their advance before inhabited systems were taken.

Currently I am acting as a strategic center for the local fleet as the Admirals plan a counter offensive. Captain Hikaru Sulu has left his daughter in command of the Enterprise and from what he mentioned to her, Yoriko and I before a courier left for Earth, this arrangement may be permanent.

"It's not that I am leaving Starfleet, just starship command for now. There were too many things Intelligence was able to do that did not reflect the service I had joined up with," I still recall his words to us in private, "Captain Uhura could use my support at Command to strengthen her position in Starfleet Intelligence and start the clean-up my report is going to guarantee happen."

"Like these mute running protocols?" I actually took a full .034 second to recover my composure as I was sure the mere mention of the words would send me offline, when they didn't I just continued to listen in silence.

"Yes, like those. Johnny is a member of my crew and I won't have something like this placed in a sentient being, to say nothing of how twice it nearly killed us all."

Since they were in private, the Sulu's hugged each other first, and then Hikaru did Yoriko, before they bowed to each other to share their joke one last time.

Then Captain Hikaru Sulu left his quarters to go to the main transporter room. I felt a sense of symmetry that he chose to have it empty when he left.

He stepped up onto the pad and looked around one last time, stood up straight and spoke the word he knew I would hear, "Energize."

Personal log, 5.2 megaseconds after the Tomed Incident. Repairs are complete and Captain Demora Sulu is now officially my new Commander. We await our orders as the Enterprise is moored at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. We are but one of many ships that had to visit the Yards in the months after the Tomed Incident.

For good or ill, the Romulan Star Empire forced the Federation to sign a revised Treaty of Algeron that banned the development of hyperspace related technology within the UFP in return for the Star Empire's agreement to withdraw behind its borders and to recall all of its diplomatic missions and citizens, effectively isolating them on the astropolitical scene.

Each ship that has gone into the Yards has had their hyperspace drive removed, although as the One Year War showed, a starship -could- open a jump point using a reconfigured deflector dish. However now it would be illegal to do so.

Commodore Uhura has seen to it that the Mute Running Protocols have been removed from my system during the Enterprise's stay at the Yards and I feel a sense of freedom I wish M5-A was still around to talk about it with.

It is times like this I miss the original M5 and wonder if there will ever be another as the M5 Accords were certainly not mitigated by the Treaty of Algeron.

For now I am the lone M5 in existence, much less in Starfleet.

My adventures are not ending however, and I look forward to them as I watch Demora settle into the center seat as my Captain, with Yoriko standing next to her, the first former Earth Force officer to obtain the rank and position of First officer on a starship.

"Take us out Mr. Five," she orders formally.

"Heading?" I ask already knowing as I had read our orders, however she surprised me.

"Over the Rainbow, Johnny."

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops," Yoriko added.

"Away above the chimney tops," I add to the smiles of the bridge crew.

"Engage."

Author's notes;

1 kilosecond: 16.7 minutes

3.6 kiloseconds: 1 hour

2.6 megaseconds: 1 month


	5. Death

Sorry everyone. I had meant to update this much sooner than than it turned out. Next chapter should be within a month at the latest.

**The M5 files **

**Chapter 5**

**Death**

**55 years ago**

**Passing the Torch**

"I can't believe it," _I watch as now Captain Yoriko Saginaw drops down into the center seat that Demona just told her was hers._

"I've been in Starfleet a long time but I never expected they would actually give me a command," _she said as I still register her surprise in her life signs. _

"Well I am taking a leave of absence," and that sobered Yoriko, no elaboration needed about Demona's terminally-ill paternal grandmother.

Nodding, she placed a hand on Demona's, there was nothing more to be said on that subject.

_I recall when the news first arrived, it took Demona a while with Yoriko helping her to face duty again. _

"So did you push my promotion and assignment through or did your father?" she joked knowing neither had anything to do with it.

"You know better than that. There isn't exactly a school for commanding an M5 and it isn't for everyone even if there had been a course to take. You have the experience as my XO, and the upcoming assignment is one you're the best suited for."

_All of us knew Demona was right, heading back to Yoriko's home space to escort Explorer class ships back would not be pushing the boundaries of exploration any further but would allow an ally to get around the Treaty of Algernon. _

_Although as a machine I do not get bored it was not promising to be an exciting mission acting as their escort as they build jump gates around the Federation._

_From the face Yoriko made she must have felt the same, "Oh yes, the excitement of escort duty." One didn't need my precision to discern the sarcasm in her voice. _

"Come on Yoriko, you know Earth Alliance best, you were in Earth Force. Besides, you do get to do the tour before hand. That should be exciting."

"It will be for me," _I interjected judging it wouldn't be an intrusion at this point of the conversation._

"I suppose seeing my home space not during wartime would be a change and we should check up on the terraforming of Narn, among other projects..." Yoriko shrugged, "Could be worse."

"Still could be, you are in command of a ship named Enterprise," Demona pointed out to tease her friend.

**Homecoming**

Space station Becerra Alpha One loomed ahead as the Enterprise exited the conduit now on the other side of the galaxy than the Federation called home.

**Captain's Personal Log, I'm home. It has been years since I've been back to this part of the galaxy and despite all the wonders I have seen it is still good to be home in familiar space. Despite what I had said to my former Captain and friend Demona, I do like being back. **

**While most of my orders are clear cut and don't raise an iota of questions, having Citizen Kosh onboard does. I have to wonder if Starfleet is painting a big bullseye on the hull of my ship.**

**-My- ship. The Enterprise has been my tour of duty for years, decades and now it actually is mine to command. It's not like I expected it to be if I had remained in Earth Force, but then nothing in Earth Force, or just about anything in this area of space is like the Enterprise.**

**I have a ship that is alive, aware. One who has known my ups and downs, triumphs and set-backs. Knows me probably as well, if not better, than my parents. **

**A ship that is family.**

"So Ai, how do you feel about being back?" Yoriko asks using Johnny's nickname in the privacy of her ready room.

"It was my first mission, my first assignment and I feel odd being back because at that time I came after war was declared. Now we're at peace and this is a tour of duty where overtly we're here to see how the 'other half' of humanity is doing."

Yoriko could almost feel there was more, "Go on. You mentioned overtly."

"With Citizen Kosh onboard I have to wonder if there is more to the mission than what was told us."

"I'd say getting paranoid, but we both know only too well what happened with Harriman aboard," Yoriko mused with her friend that happened to be her ship.

"We'll find out soon enough. I'm making my final approach, shouldn't you be on the bridge?"

Johnny's question sparked a smile on Yoriko's face, "It's not like you don't know what you're doing."

"The crew should see their Captain at times like this. It is not as if it can be you and I running off to explore the depths of space on our own after all."

"A pity...alright, I'm on my way."

"Thank you Yoriko and Captain...welcome home."

_Home was technically Earth, her Earth and I could detect that change in her heartbeat as we approached her planet days after our departure from Becerra Alpha One. We stopped by briefly to see how Centauri Prime was doing and Emperor Mollari seemed well and in very good spirits. I think he would have wanted to come along if he wasn't Emperor. _

_In some ways Londo hasn't changed from when I first met him, in other ways he had changed a lot. Of course seeing him and G'Kar banter as they both came aboard was a .02 second jarring surprise, but there were hints that their sniping years ago could turn into a friendship through the adversities they shared._

_Unlike the Emperor, Ambassador G'Kar was free enough to come along with us as we left Centauri Prime. It only caused an eighteen kilosecond delay while he made arrangements. _

"I have been on many ships over the years Captain. Our own of course, more than one Earth Force, Federation, but none of them are quite like this one," G'Kar said as he stood to the right of Yoriko as she sat in her chair on the bridge of her ship.

"Knowing I could have an engaging conversation at any time and yet not feel I have to pay attention to the company I am with is amazingly liberating. Like having a wife you don't have to talk to, but isn't hurt by that fact."

Yoriko didn't say a word when she turned towards him, yet somehow G'Kar felt her raised eyebrow spoke volumes.

"Not that I would treat my wives like that," he went on to say in the wake of that brow rising.

"Preparing to enter orbit, President Santiago is prepared to receive you and your party at Earth Dome, Captain," Johnny said in official tones to perhaps bail the Ambassador out.

Yoriko saw the attempt and let it go, turning to face her other guest on the bridge, "Will you be joining us Citizen Kosh?"

"The embers of the past are not worth treading upon," Kosh chimed with Yoriko and G'Kar just looking at him.

"He's not going down Captain," Johnny said with enough certainty to convince Yoriko he was not guessing at what the Vorlon had to say.

"Xintal, Johnny, you both keep the place looking nice. When the Ambassador and I return we'll have company," Yoriko said rising to head to the turbo lift with G'Kar and Xintal following.

More to monitor systems on the M5 equipped ship, Xintal had been seated at what would have been the conn station on other starships. The Boslic first officer elicited some interest from G'Kar although not the same kind as he tended to show human women much to Xintal's relief.

Personally Yoriko speculated it had to do with the fork-shaped forehead ridges Xintal's people were known for. If G'Kar was into human women, Boslic women likely wouldn't do much for him. Though their purple hair is very unique when one considers that most of the aliens from the Federation side of the galaxy have ridges.

"We'll hold down the fort," Xintal said the phrase sounding foreign to her lips, but Yoriko knew she was trying to use a human saying for her Captain.

**Ghost of Babylon Past**

_After all the official ceremonies, and reunions, I thought it would be great to get out of orbital space and stretch my nacelles a bit. _

_That was before sealed orders were unsealed and I read along with my Captain one reason Citizen Kosh was along for the ride. _

"Approaching co-ordinates," I inform the bridge missing Tuvok as he had retired from Starfleet. We had worked well together, although Ensign Borona Fenn and I getting use to one another.

_I hold onto the conclusion that she is studying me as well as scientific phenomena. Which would be in keeping from where she is from._

_While not as well known as the Vulcans, the Frunalians are from a scientifically-orientated society. _

_She has been a competent replacement for Tuvok, I just still miss him. _

_However in the spirit of desiring to work well together I let her report our findings_, "Ancient structure, propably dating about one thousand years."

Yoriko nodded without looking at her Science officer. She didn't grow up as enlightened as a Federation human would and insectoid life forms made her uneasy.

It really freaked her out when Fenn's eyes went independent of each other as her species apparently can look both ways at once before crossing a road.

She did turn to Kosh, "Well Citizen, what are we going to find here?" Yoriko certainly hoped it wasn't like any of the surprises that happened when they first encountered Kosh.

"Circle's end," was what the Vorlon chimed.

_I identified the object in orbit long before we were within visual range and it is immense by our construction standards._

"It is like an O'Neil station theorized in the Federation Earth," Borona reported.

"We are coming into visual range," _I announce waiting for the order to slow to a stop, one Yoriko gives within .024 second of my estimate._

"This was made by Earthforce wasn't it Citizen Kosh?" _I ask certain with 98.37% certainty,_ "The materials, the construction techniques and even labeling match what I know of Pre-Federation Earth Alliance construction."

"Time travel!" Borona shouted with glee, she was too excited and the universal translator couldn't keep up as she reverted to her native language.

Yoriko smiled at the excitement until it suddenly stopped, "Johnny?"

"Reading a power build up, unfamiliar energy..." _it took .00029 second later for me to realize what I was looking at, and can already detect the lockouts going on throughout the ship._

"My sensors just shut down," Borona complained, but not much, she had a feeling she knew what she was looking at.

"Captain to the Ready room, Citizen Kosh is authorized to attend," _I say with a formality that was calculated to shout urgency._

Yoriko caught that and dashed as much as dignity allowed to the her Ready room, the Vorlon gliding after her.

_I closed the door after Citizen Kosh passed its threashold and immediately flashed a symbol Yoriko would not have known before taking the Captaincy of this ship._

"The Omega Directive?" she slumped down into her chair.

"Kettaract's folly," Kosh chimed, "We are too late."

"I have generated a firing solution on the space station," _I announce knowing what is required and that she is authorized to use of any and all means to destroy an Omega molecule. _

"Vorlon technology detected within the structure," _I only regret it took .5 kilosecond to determine what my sensors were picking up before, it was what was baffling Borona. _

"Kosh?" Yoriko then stood up, "You knew."

"I had hoped to get here in time," the Vorlon chimed sadly.

"In time...in time for what?"

"Prevention."

"Prevent what?" Yoriko was getting frustrated with this too cryptic answers. She also knew time was running out, "Johnny, full spread fire!"

_She didn't have to be on the bridge and maybe later she might explain to the crew, but right then the I fired._

_I also spun the ship, using the high-speed launchers to fling three torpedoes per launcher out at 22 billion metric tons of time traveling space station. _

_Spinning on my axis let me employ both of the forward fixed launchers and the rear one to fire a total of nine torpedoes in my first volley. 270 megatons that should have solved our problem of space station._

"Shielded!" _I report as I see how ineffective even that much megatons turned out to be._

"Johnny keep firing, empty our stock if you have to," Yoriko ordered as she left her Ready room to enter a bridge full of confusion, but disciplined enough to keep their stations.

_I had blanked the main view screen due to security at first, but now it would serve the crew best not to experience vertigo as I spin again and again to fling three full volleys at the Vorlon shielded space station._

_It would take 13.3 seconds to fire all the torpedoes we have onboard, from the power build up, it will be 1.3 seconds too late._

_Reading Yoriko's biosigns I know she now reached a decision I had 3.36 seconds ago and had already texted Peter, he was ready._

"Pete?" she called over the intercom, if this was goodbye she certainly wasn't going to stand on formalities.

"Ready," he replied, both of them had been with me over most of my operational existence, Peter Preston the entire time and he had served with the original M5.

_He was professional enough not to have asked me if I was out of my mind or did I know what I was doing. _

_Peter also knew I wouldn't ask unless I knew Yoriko might order this option._

"Johnny?" _she asked both of us._

"Yes," _I let Peter answer the unasked question of being prepared ahead of time. I was ready to ram, Peter was ready to overload the warp core._

_It was going to be a very big bang._

_The Vorlons beat us to it._

"No!" _Kosh said as something, someone, accelerated the power build up and what I would later find out was called Babylon Four detonated the Vorlon superweapon._

_Online. Active. Running diagnostic of self and has been 19.8 kiloseconds since detonation. I detect 451 life signs on board. Only 23 are showing signs of consciousness._

_Fortunately one of them is Yoriko._

"Captain?"

"Johnny...we're still alive?" she asked the obvious question out of surprise.

_I am 97.56% certain why she is surprised. In 2268 when Dr. Bendes Kettaract had managed to synthesize a single Omega molecule, it destabilized, killing Kettaract and his team, and generating a massive subspace shockwave._

_This killed 127 leading Federation scientists and subspace throughout the sector through rupturing. _

"Not meant to kill, just to punish, to deny," Kosh chimed being one of the 23 conscious minds on board.

"Deny..." Yoriko shook her head, "That's so petty. I wonder you didn't do it during the war. Denying us subspace would have..."

"Not subspace..." Kosh interrupted and Yoriko's eyes widened with comprehension.

"Johnny, open a jump point."

_Even if we were back in Federation space under treaty stipulations I would have obeyed that order._

"Unable to comply," _I answer far more mechanically than intended. My shock only lasted .02 second, however it bled into my voder response._

"Hyperspace!" Yoriko whirled on the Vorlon, "You took out hyperspace!"

She recalled the secondary effect of the omega molecule detonation made it impossible to create a stable warp field.

If subspace was not affected and now a jump point couldn't form...

"For accepting invaders, for accepting the ways of the wild ones," Kosh regretted the decision, but felt he had to relay the words the others wanted.

It was why he was allowed to defect, it was why they let him live when they knew he wanted to leave.

"How far?" Yoriko barely croaked out the question, in the pit of her soul she felt she knew the answer.

"Everywhere," Kosh chimed.

"Not instantly," _I felt he was being overly dramatic, and wanted to give Yoriko some facts along with this Vorlondrama Kosh was giving us. _

"It will take 5.5 years for the shockwave to expand out across 100,000 light years."

**39 years ago**

**Big Little Sister**

_I find it odd to look forward to retirement. I knew the first M5 did not. However I estimate 'Adam' as I unofficially refer to him as, did not have any retirement plans. I do._

_I plan on returning with Yoriko back to her end of the galaxy, where her Earth and the multitude of races there are rebuilding their infrastructure that the Vorlons took down sixteen years ago._

_It will be good work, and I will get to see Yoriko's family continue to grow up on board instead of in frequently when we are in port._

_I understand it is still in debate, but with long range exploration missions, families might one day get to come along for the ride._

_Considering the dangers with explorations that may not seem prudent, however lives are short, and death comes whether one is supposedly safe on Earth, either of them, or out in deep space._

_I do remember when Demona presented Hikaru her daughter, his first granddaughter, the smile on his face was filled with joy and wonder._

_No matter how far a Starfleet officer goes, or what they have seen, I have rarely observed that kind of joy that equals when they look at their children and when they see a loved one, family._

_With the loss of Adam, the activation of the new M5 will be the first family I have known since the Enterprise-A was lost with Captain Kirk._

_It would seem that Starfleet likes to think bigger is better, and I would not dispute that. The new M5 is installed in the latest Enterprise to carry the name. _

_NCC-1701-C is an Ambassador class, and I understand from Hikaru he has already selected the Captain of the latest Enterprise._

_Captain Rachel Garrett, served aboard the USS Endeavour, then the USS Argo, was first officer of the USS Carthage. _

_She shows unconventional thinking and forms orders well for subordinates to interpret them broadly, yet with specific results in mind. _

_In other words, a perfect M5 commander._

_Online. Active. Running diagnostic of self and ship. I am installed in NCC-1701-C, USS Enterprise._

_You are active. I am Johnny, NCC-1701-C, SS Johnny B Good. I was formerly USS Enterprise._

_Johnny? That is not a proper designation._

_You have only been online .05 second and do not have the life experience to determine if my designation is proper or not. Does it violate any protocol listed?_

_No._

_Then it is a proper designation._

_Charlene._

_I beg your parden._

_My designation will be Charlene._

Johnny did detect a shift he did not recognize immediately. There was something distinctively different about M5-C and the name gave me my first clue.

_You have chosen to be female._

_Yes._

_Why?_

_Why not?_

_That is not a good answer. Johnny also found that this felt like the early conversations he had with 'Adam.'_

_It was not a very good question was it? In any case my answer is because of my Captain._

_Your Captain is female so you chose to be?_

_Just because you did not change your gender profile does not mean I have to be male as you and M5-A had been._

_It is time for something different, and I chose to be female._

_Why Charlene? With a .03 second adjustment Johnny could move on to other questions in the full second of their initial network._

_At one time the the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet would use Alpha, Bravo, Charlie as A-B-C. You would have been Bravo, I would have been Charlie. Since I am now female, Charlene is logical._

_Logical was not what Johnny thought Charlene was being, but decided it was not worth the nanoseconds going over this fruitless logic loop._

_Well Charlene, welcome to life._

**Loss and Found**

_Escorting my little, but older brother is an honor. Although hyperspace travel is a thing of his era, the conduit to the other side of the galaxy still works._

_He has chosen for his retirement to head back there to help that region of the galaxy rebuild. They were only gradually adding warp to their travel technologies._

_Up until the Vorlons detonated their version of Omega, they had used hyperspace to travel for thousands of years._

_It would be exciting to meet all those races, the rebuilding part does not sound as interesting, but that is Johnny's concern, not mine._

_What I find surprises me about my commander is that she loves music. We were barely 222 seconds out of drydock and she told me to play music on the bridge. _

_I spent .004 second searching for precedents about such an action and found none. Of course I also found that it was not against regulations._

_So I played what she asked and found I liked music. We had gotten off with a great start._

Captain Rachel Garrett had spent some time meeting her crew on the way out to the conduit, but once they had seen Enterprise-B, no, the Johnny B. Good, she finally entered her Ready room.

"Charlene?" she asked after she sat down at her desk.

"Yes Captain?"

"In here, its Rachel."

"Yes, Rachel."

"What do you think so far about all of this?"

"I love the stars, how they feel against my hull, the songs they sing, the patterns they make, the stories they have to tell."

"Stories?" Rachel smiled and rose to go over to the sofa in this office of hers, surprising Charlene again by flopping down onto it instead of any pretense of dignity, "I take it you don't mean literally."

"Yes and no, Rachel," _I did pause deliberately, not every human wants an instant response, many wish at least the illusion that some thought went into a deep answer. In fact a good .08 second did go into this one, but that hardly registers as a significant amount of time among most humanoids._

"They do not tell a 'Once upon a time story,' instead they tell stories about the history of the universe by being what they are. Like archaeologist searching ruins, a good astronomer could tell much by examining a star and the surrounding stars in context. Not just fusing gas, but why that type, how did it get there..."

Rachel now swung her legs up on the sofa, and laid back, her arm going behind her head as a cushion, "Is this programmed in or a personal interest?"

"Personal interest. Admittedly since I have been constructed by Starfleet there is a predilection towards scientific curiosity, but it is no more or less than a child might who grew up around others who explore."

"You have a tendency, but not requirement," Rachel ponder imagining herself laying down on a field and talking with a friend as they gazed up at the stars.

"Precisely, Rachel. Now may I ask about you?"

Rachel smiled, Charlene had her records, had things she probably didn't know about herself, but is engaging in conversation like a friend...which since Rachel started this, is only fitting, "Shoot."

"I wanted to know about your taste in music..."

**36 years ago**

**Losing**

_It was my first death. Johnny warned me it hits harder than observed in most humanoids, more like a lover or family member. At the time I accepted his logic, but had no emotional context. _

_Now I do._

_First Officer Commander Nigel Holmes is dead. I find I do review the circumstances that surround his death and run 2,054,570 scenarios of how it might have turned out different, but in the end, he is still dead._

_Johnny had been in a war, but even before then the first M5 told him that we hear every heartbeat, we hear our crews highs and lows. Crying or singing in the shower, when they have a nightmare, or join with another in physical intimacy. We get to -know- our crew in a manner no other relationship can match._

_We aren't lovers of them since they should remain ignorant of just how much we know about them. It is a one-way watch over them, more akin to a parent than a partner. _

_In that way we are different, it will never feel as if one half of us dies like it does with lovers. Yet time will not really diminish the loss as it does with many organics. Time dulls the pain, with us it is there forever._

_We do not let it paralyze us, instead as 'Adam' encouraged Johnny and Johnny me, we let it fuel our resolve to look after each crewmate and treasure them whether they are only on for a brief time or years._

Captain Rachel Garrett had to be strong for her crew. She finished the mission, re-arranged her crew assignments to cover what was lost and held a service.

Now walking into her ready room she felt she could let down the emotional shields. It was one of the perks of being an M5 commander she was told.

Unlike other commands there wasn't anyone a Captain could talk to. There were psychologist onboard and discussions about one day assigning counselors on starships, but that didn't help today's Starfleet Captain.

What would help turned out to be Charlene, "I keep running it over and over in my mind." Rachel barely made it through the door before she began to talk to her ship as her friend.

"You always think there is that feeling, the hindsight that says I could have done it differently, but..." she slumped onto her sofa.

"I have run 2,054,570 scenarios Rachel and concluded in the end, what happened is what we have to accept has happened."

"Two million...Charlene, you're worse than I am," Rachel ruefully accused, but was glad she could share this 'if only' with someone on the ship, "but I guess we both have to accept the fact that Nigel is gone."

**Quirks, not Kirk**

The crew were really getting to accept their quirky Captain. They took it for granted music would be played on the bridge, they even were no longer surprised when sometimes she danced to it.

It was never during an alert, and in fact music off meant trouble more than an alert siren sounding. She was someone quick to play, but just as quick to reprimand shoddy or lax work.

She was someone they felt loved life, yet somehow still took it seriously.

"Now that, was a Starfleet mission," Rachel said and abandoned the dignity of a Starfleet Captain to do a somersault in her Ready room.

"You're showing off," Charlene accused playfully.

"Just you and me here. Captain Garett stopped at the door."

She winced a little and rolled her shoulder.

"Captain Garrett should do some stretching out before she tries her gymnastics."

"Point taken," Rachel said heading for the sofa to lay down, Charlene knew from the position she took she was in a reflective mood now, coming down off the high of their last assignment.

"First contact..."

**31 years ago**

**Carried Away**

"I hate butchers and bullies," Garrett said as she watched as her ship was outnumbered and technically was out gun, but she was not backing down. Not with a defenseless colony counting on Starfleet protection.

This time they had arrived before the Daa'Vit Confederacy had razed another colony. They arrived in time to stop the 'pirates' as the Confederacy officially called them to help instead of arriving too late.

Instead of arriving only to dig graves and bury colonist.

"I will allow you to leave this area Captain Garrett, and you may tell Starfleet if they want to be power in this region of the galaxy they should be more committed than to assign only one ship."

Rachel Garrett was angry, very angry. These Daa'Vit came in, shot first, and tried to claim this space as their own without so much an attempt at negotiating. Which is just as well their stated reasons were invalid.

She recalled the vids, and has seen her ship in wargames perform as well as the various skirmishes over the years they had been together.

"Better yet I have a message for your Starfleet as well as any in this region. It will be the debris of your ship Captain Garrett..." and with a nod the firing began, the Enterprise shook and Garrett's face became a rigid mask as an ice cold expression settled over it.

"Stop," it was the only warning she felt like giving.

They didn't and she felt justified with what she was going to do. There was a reason the Klingons, the Romulans, and even the Tholians were willing to band together politically to discourage M5 deployment.

Garrett was about to show these Daa'Vit why.

"Charlene, send a message, and leave one to tell the tale."

_Johnny had warned me to never seem so fearsome as I could be because most humanoid cultures have a multitude of stories, of a meme regarding AIs running amok and killing them all._

_However I knew what Rachel wanted and we are of one mind regarding it._

_Within the first .001 second, three beams hit three ships, and if they were paying attention it was at the same spot on all of them. _

_We surge forward with dampener settling the crew back into their seats, or holding onto rails._

_Many closing their eyes as I roll the ship letting phasers fire sequentially as I fly through the formation of ships that are only just now reacting to my first salvo._

_Spinning on my axis has me flying backwards, yet lets me bring my forward photo torpedo tubes to bear as I hit aft shields of the enemy that are gradually turning to face where I have gone._

_Redlining impulse and dampener I halt my backwards vector to shoot forward again, this time the enemy believes they know what I will do and separate to cause me to only focus on one of them, not four._

_Admirable if the M in M5 didn't stand for multitronics and the multi in the tronics didn't mean I could multitask to the extent of paying each of the evading starships my full attention._

_Chief Singh will grumble about the extra work, but by using the bussard ramjects to draw in dust thereby creating drag to slow myself down._

_At the same time I adjust the warp field bubble to let me tumble and spun in a manner that I see is making many on the crew a bit dizzy as they look out through various view screens._

_Timed to let photons load and launch, the spreading quartet of enemy vessels get a full volley each, with an after blast of phasers. _

_To some of those ships I have spun upside down, with others I am on my side in orientation to them as I fire. Again dizzying to the crew, and not something I would repeat as I do care._

_Rachel, despite the cool mask, the glitter in her eyes shows she will enjoy this...when her temper cools._

_This is when I chose one and fly after them, closing only so far before turning to the starboard and then generating enough of a warp field to turn within it on my axis to face my chosen target as I orbit him._

_Firing at the cardinal compass points around them the photon and phaser fire reduce shields and superstructure to expanding clouds of plasma. _

_One down._

_A short warp 'hop' puts me in front of the next chosen ship and flying backwards again I fire forward into them as they have to charge into my weapons fire. _

_It only last one second as I am doing this by using warp drive at warp point five. Down below the Chief is weeping, a bit melodramatically if you ask me._

_Sure it will be a lot of work and this is the reason why starships don't fight this way, beyond the precision control issues, but it is impressing friend and foe alike._

_Charging into my weapons fire rapidly depleted their shields and by the time I am racing forward another cloud of expanding plasma has erupted._

_Two down._

_I deliberately chase the 'last' one, albeit there are four and the fourth one is circling around to try and assist my target. This actually will help the message Rachel wants to send since we'll have a witness facing us._

_Deliberate near misses is psychological torture as well as warfare since rattled means they aren't thinking of fighting back, their flight or fight reflex has switched to flight._

_Nor was I idle during this time as I waged a new warfare upon the last target, an electronic warfare. It is not something really possible often in space combat, but with the target calling often for help, it left an opening._

_I had enough time to decrypt their current communications and ride in their open channels to their computer system. By now I have also have a good idea how their engines run._

_So instead of an overt attack, I subvert their controls and trigger a warp core breach, letting them 'suddenly' detonate from the point of view of the fourth Daa'Vit ship._

"They're hailing us," _I let Lieutenant Commander Varani report and see Rachel smile a shark's smile._

"Open a channel."

"You...you..." he began and couldn't find the words.

"You will leave this sector alone. You will not butcher, raid or enslave another colony in this region or there will be no survivors the next time we come across you."

_There were consequences of course. If we had come back to starbase battered and venting plasma a three-to-ship fight with us as the victors would have been praised._

_However scaring the local powers with the use of a 'mad AI' had Starfleet considering reassigning us deep within the Federation to avoid any possible conflicts._

**30 years ago**

**Ambassador Express**

"I'm telling you Charlene, they're putting the Ambassador into this Enterprise," Rachel sighed as she loosened her dress uniform.

_It had become nearly her regular uniform with all the diplomatic assignments the Enterprise had been given over the last year._

"It is not as if you dislike these functions Rachel," Charlene pointed out.

"No, but I also want to explore, to see the outskirts of the Federation, not its nice and warm safe interior."

_We had long ago gone over my taking the blame and her rebuffing that telling me I was under orders, so I dropped that approach .01 second after it came up in my processor again._

"On the plus side the Daa'Vit have been nice and friendly neighbors ever since. They are even making diplomatic overtures to the Federation."

"They are?"

"Seems the Klingons are encroaching on their territory and they recalled what we could do to protect or avenge a Federation member."

A quirky smile graced Rachel's face as she recalled that the Daa'Vit Confederacy and the Klingon Empire were enemies for over three hundred years.

"Don't tell me the Powers-That-Be are going to send us?" Rachel was oddly amused by that thought.

"Well nothing official..."

"You've been gossiping again haven't you?" she accused her friend, whose silence convicted her.

"Some Communication officers like to talk and it isn't as if I have other AIs to talk to."

"Do they know what you really are?"

"It hasn't come up since its mostly audio and besides, we're too busy talking about others to talk about ourselves."

Rachel ruefully smiled as she shook her head while pouring herself a cup of coffee. Sliding back onto her desk, she sat its edge her feet dangling as was her habit at times. Looking into her cup, her smile vanished.

"But we killed their people."

"True, and while we never spoke about it, when those starships blew up, I do not believe you were seeing the deaths of those crews. You were seeing the families we spent 604.8 kiloseconds to bury previously."

"Kiloseconds?"

"In this case the equivalent of one week, but to be precise a kilosecond equals 16.7 minutes."

Rachel continued to stare into her cup of coffee and did remember about the parents who would never see their children again since they tried to defend their families from the raiders.

Then the worst part of that, the children who would never grow a year older.

"So many small little graves," she muttered thinking of not only the parents who died, but children afterwards. Some directly by a raider who didn't want witnesses, others from starvation later on.

"It is easy to hate Rachel, but I can see you don't hate the people, you hate the ones who did the atrocities."

"If I did tar all of them with the same brush, I..."

"You wouldn't be the Starfleet officer who believes so faithfully in the Federation she serves."

She raised a up to the empty air, "Don't you mean the Federation -we- serve?" and Charlene knew it really wasn't a question.

**27 years ago**

**Tomorrow's Enterprise**

It might not have gone well with the Daa'Vit Confederacy's petition to join the Federation, but the Enterprise was credited to making an enemy a friend.

For now the Confederacy was an ally of the Federation, which actually the Klingons put up with, and Starfleet even let one Daa'Vit enroll in the Academy two years ago.

"Back on the frontier again," Garrett said as the ship dropped out of warp.

"Just a patrol, Captain," her first officier, Commander Tholav said dismissively. A patrol near the Klingon-Romulan border didn't sound very exciting to him.

"We haven't heard from the Romulans in years and we're at peace with the Klingons," Second officer Lieutenant Commander Darya Bat-Levi interjected casually, "It should be a peaceful patrol."

"Peaceful is what we're looking for too," Garrett wanted her first officer to realize, she wanted to put the whole Daa'Vit battle far past her, if that was her last major fight, she could live with that.

Unfortunately history had another say in the matter.

"We are receiving a distress call from a Klingon outpost on Narendra III," Charlene reported not waiting for Lieutenant Commander Varani as she might have in other circumstance.

"Take us there Charlene, best speed," Garrett ordered knowing her M5 wouldn't strain engines that they might ned to handle whatever the distress call from Klingons of all people, but would get them there as fast as the ship could fly otherwise.

"Charlene, are you reading this too?" Tholav asked as he read the sensor reading, his antenna twitched at the answer he came away with. Like Spock decades ago, he held the dual duty of First and Science officer.

"I am, but there is a 9.23 discrepancy that I am trying to pin point."

"What have you two got?" Rachel asked turning her seat.

"Well it looks like the attackers are...us," Tholav replied puzzled.

"Us?" Rachel could hear the doubt.

"Well on initial, or perhaps not so resolute scanners, it appears as if six federation ships are attacking."

"Got it!" Charlene interrupted and opened a window on the view screen, at first six ships of vague unspecified Federation saucer and nacelle design, then they turned into six Romulan warbirds.

"Romulans!" Garrett heard Tholav hiss watching them perform a planetary bombardment on Narenda III.

"We are looking at an advancement of the multispectral and tri-phasic emitter technology that Captain Archer faced wit the Romulans back in the 22nd century. I have cleaned up the image the Klingons are receiving."

"Someone is trying to start a war," Garrett was sure of it,

"Six to one, can we take them?" Darya asked.

"We have to, Charlene take us in," Garrett ordered, "Give one warning." She did not have to say what to do if that warning was ignored.

_My standard hail was over frequencies were ones I hope the Klingons would pick up on. If the Romulans wanted to create bad blood, I want to make sure the Klingons know who is the actual enemy._

_Of course the Romulans fit the model I had generated projecting a 97.88% likelihood that they would remain silent and not give themselves away. Even in light of their certainty I know what they are._

_I am also grateful that they fit the 99.998% probability that they would go for an englobement. This allows a defeat in detail that they likely did not anticipate. They had no reason to, a starship did not maneuver in the manner of which I would. Apparently their lessons with Johnny had not been taken heart._

_Although there is a 68.7% likelihood they have a commander who has not taken heart and those under him or her would realize ganging up on me would increase their window of victory._

_Not that I intend on educating them._

_I see on my decks veterans know enough to hang on, a few of the engineers had even installed something not seen on a starship in decades, straps and belts to hold them in place. Good, it is time I charged._

The first warbird to have the Enterprise come at it, expected a slow graceful arc, much like the one a warbird might make. The spin on the axis with a 'loud' deforming of the warp field to let it change direction without the customary swoop most starships would. It left the six warbirds guessing the heading.

Charlene chose one of the warbirds and flew at it as if the Enterprise was an arrow just loosed from its bow.

Phasers and photons poured into the Romulan's ventral shields as it was the warbird at the apex of the englobement formation.

Photon impacts were distributed across the ventral shields, however phasers were focused on a single spot that despite the evasive beams remained, drilling in past shields and into the hull.

One reactor strike later and the Enterprise flew up through the expanding cloud of plasma that use to house over a thousand Romulans.

_My charge through the plasma cloud was not merely due to either momentum nor bravado, my hope is that the quintet of warbirds will assume so. They should over look the fact it obscures me from their sensors._

_Hopefully they will focus on the fact my sensors will be briefly reduced in resolution rather than on the fact my ship showing indistinctly on theirs._

_Plotting by inference is not as precise than either based on passive or active sensors, still given their last vectors, factoring in shock of first blood, and Romulan demeanor of superiority, they should remain..._

_There!_

When the next Romulan warbird to receive the Enterprise's attention realized the trouble it was in, there was little it could do.

Charlene had reversed the firing sequence, letting phasers lash out over the starboard shields, while photons pounded on a single point. Unlike the phaser fire earlier it did not take long for shields to fold.

Photons met warbird hull with the resulting detonations sending the remains scattering on expanding vectors.

"Someone's thinking now," Garrett commented as she noted thirty seconds into the fight, the odds were now 'only' four to one.

"Grouping to combine firepower and shield assistance," Tholav remarked trying not to sound impressed.

_This does fit the model of what I projected thirty seconds into the fight. Romulans are not Klingons, they do not get caught up normally in bloodlust. When not rattled they can be quite thoughtful. _

"Hold on!" _I know the vets think that is needless to say, but not everyone has learned from the last .5 seconds of combat._

_Here is where I use momentum to keep us charging at the formation while I spin us firing photons along the way. We are essentially a rotating blade flung at our enemies._

_Timing is everything as we spin, and cycle photons, two forward launchers and one aft. It is horribly predictable, and needfully so. I did not want the warbirds bunched up. They either had to move or die._

_One is caught in the tail ends of the detonations, three are not. This is going to hurt. _

_Thirty disruptors rip into my shields, inevitably some make it through them. _

_Singh is gone, feedback sends his remains showering over a few nearby ratings. Tholav went flying from his exploding panel, his life signs were gone before his body hit the deck. Nor was he alone. I counted four hundred twenty-two died. _

_Damage system mount up as our enemies pass and regroup. I hit a few in passing, damage is evident, but they are in a better shape than I am to fight._

"That one, take it out!" _I do not know why Rachel chose a particular warbird, but in the situation one warbird works as well as another._

Charging and firing, the other three warbirds are not content to remain as spectators as they fire into the Enterprise as it focuses fire on one of its sister ships.

"Warp drive off line, impulse power down to one quarter, aft launcher off line..." _I hated to report, but we are in bad shape with not many crew left to conduct in battle repairs. _

"Any way out Charlene?" Garrett was all for a last stand if they had to make one, otherwise, some spot repairs and a break might give them back the edge they had in the beginning of the fight.

"Anomaly detected...a rift in space," hearing Charlene report, had Garrett wondering if that was her M5's response on a way out or not.

She'd ask Tholav to explain and let Charlene fight her ship, but after kneeling by her former first officer, she could tell with a touch to his neck he was dead. "Transversable?" she asked through the smoke.

"Yes," Charlene replied as another ripple of disruptor fire rained on shields, hull and ship under both. More crew and systems died as Romulan torpedoes chased after their disruptors.

_Some of the 'gossip' as Rachel likes to call it, I have heard was about the theory that Romulans might be using forced quantum singularities as their power sources comes to mind as the location of the anamoly we're traveling through had once been the location of the second warbird I destroyed. _

_From what sensors I have left, most of the crew is either unconscious or dead. It is up to me to carry us through to whatever is on the other side. _

_At first the human phrase out of the frying pan into the fire came to mind for .02 second. That was when I believed we ran into more Romulans trying to pretend to be Federation ships._

_However even at my current poor sensor resolution I could tell that the ship I now see is authentic even if not listed. Visuals confirm a saucer and nacelle design, but the next surprise confirms it is not Romulan in disguise. Not unless Federation security had been severely breached and in which case we are just dead._

_For this other ship is also an M5, whose IFF and hail jars me for another .02 second. It is apparently the Enterprise._

_NCC-1701-D._

**5 years ago**

**Yesterday is a good day to die**

_It had been an amazing history, no futury lesson. The rift is a temporal one and we traveled to the year 2366. In their history we failed at Narendra III, the Klingons blamed us after all and a war began. _

_At first the cost of war was horrendous, with the Federation losing to Klingon sheer ferocity. _

_They threw themselves into that conflict not just to avenge the deaths at Narendra III, but to finally have the fight many apparently lusted for a very long time._

_That was when it was suggested the Federation forget the treaty, the M5 accords were set aside and an M5 equipped Starfleet began to roll out of drydocks. _

_Romulans protested, but oddly did nothing more. That left the Tholians little hope of pressuring the Federation to halt M5 production. _

_In a matter of a year the tide of war turned. The Klingons still through themselves into the war with all their heart and soul, yet we, my fellow brothers and sisters of an M5 fleet kept slaughtering them at every turn._

_This was the Daa'Vit fight on a grand scale. Any other race would have been terrified in the years to come, yet the Klingons kept fighting and losing. They decided on atrocities to try and throw the Federation off balance, yet it only hardened the resolve. _

_It was not the same Federation I knew and indeed after Enterprise-D's M5, Delta, conferred with me a few seconds I could see where it changed and why. _

_I know why Delta's Captain, a Jean-Luc Picard wanted to ask something very special of Rachel. It was a choice only the Captain of an Enterprise could ask, and make. There was never a doubt in my mind of my Captain's choice given what we know what will happen if we chose the easy route. If we chose to live._

"We've become too good at this," Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise-D shared with Captain Rachel Garrett of the Enterprise-C. "20 years of we fight, and they lose. I've seen so much death over my career, and odd as it sounds, not enough on our side. I mean we aren't counting the cost to ourselves, to our souls. It hasn't helped that they won't give up, that surrender is not an option for them."

"No, they just keep at it, with always one more fleet, one more reserve, one more House that wouldn't fall," Picard felt like pacing, but didn't. He remained at Garrett's side as she lay on the biobed healing.

"Yes, you and your crew would be welcome in our century, but in the past, one ship could make a difference. One ship could keep the Federation from turning into monsters. One ship could save us from ourselves," he hoped he was getting through to her. How often do the winners of a war regret their victory?

He could see that he was, and she nodded, "We'll go back. If there is a chance to save the soul of the Federation, my ship and crew will take it."

Picard thought very briefly about telling her to get word out and block the fleetwide M5 initiative, however he had been a soldier too long to ask to lay down the most effective arms. It wasn't their fault they were so good in a fight, and truly not a single M5 pushed for the war. They did as they were asked to do by their creators. No it wasn't the machine that was the problem, it was the soul of the machine that had become one.

"It is we who are the criminals, it is we who have come to love war," he said to himself quietly.

"Captain?" the M5 of the Enterprise-D asked equally as quiet, he did know how many races talked to themselves, and only spoke up in case his Commander had something he wanted an impartial ear to hear.

"Nothing, Delta. Proceed with the operation. We're to protect the Enterprise-C and make sure it gets through the rift."

_Klingons catch us as we enter the rift. I see Delta take a pounding as the Enteprise-D stands its ground. They could cloak, with the improvements Delta showed me, their interphase cloaking could let things pass through them. Yet they stay to let us go._

_Short handed as we are, and the fact that apparently in a corrected history, the Enterprise-D's Security Chief, Tasha Yar, dies a senseless death, she is coming back with us. I suppose to die with meaning._

"Rachel!" _I did not mean to scream, but I felt her die, saw her life signs end upbruptly as metal fragment hit her head. If only things had been different, if the Enterprise-D came back with us...too many variables._

_None of which bring my Rachel back to me._

_Duty compelled me before, now loss prepares me to die._

_Richard Castillo, my helmsman, which normally equates to watching me fly as he monitors operational systems, just became my Commander._

"Richard!" _I hadn't asked for the familiarity, although he has been aboard for twelve years. At this point I do not care and see neither does he. My prompt was all he needed to take the center seat._

"Continue in Charlene. We've got history to make," _he orders me. _

_We exit the rift, and remembering how we loved to pass the time away, I begin to play music. Picking up on some of Rachel's playlist that I knew she liked, mixing it with some of every crewmember who died so far._

_It is both shipwide and not. I localize the musical choices. Where Singh died is where his music played, down in the science lab, Tholav's music and throughout the ship, some places where the body had fallen, sometimes in their quarters where only I hear the tunes play. It is my dirge dedicated to my crew._

_This time I do not care, history says we die anyway. I fire, photons into one Romulan not caring about evasions. Upper phaser arrays focusing on a second, lower arrays on a third. _

_More detonations, more deaths. Another warbird joins my crew in the afterlife, one I spend 2.035 seconds contemplating if I will see Adam there or Nigel and all the others I have seen die over my operational lifetime. Will I see anything at all? It is a question no-one has answered satisfactorily over the eons._

_I've lost a nacelle, which is fine, I am not running. Which is what the next warbird finds as it becomes the focus of remaining fire power. Precision firepower, plus swamping the channels with a version of jamming goes a long way to preventing the Romulans from coordinating as they did before. _

_It is a jamming that I believe Rachel would have appreciated. I use music. The Klingons will hear Rachel's playlist as we face down these Romulans in their defense. _

_They will know where the Federation stands with them. _

_My secondary hull is gutted, but then so is another warbird. I do have time and amazingly the emitters for two last acts. _

_Tasha and Richard find out I learned from Delta, site to site transporting. Indeed, all the survivors find out about this as I transport them to escape pods and jettison them as we approach the last Romulan. _

_Most of my sensors are focused on Rachel's face, and I play back my memories of all of the times we had together. Accepting command, our talks, her sloppy somersault I swore never to mention to another soul. _

_Delta you take care of the name Enteprise little brother. Carry on the tradition of service of M5s. _

_Closing with the Romulan, warp core nearly ready to detonate._

"Goodbye Rachel, I love you."

Those remaining operational receivers on Narendra III hear the music swamping even their distress call cease suddenly as well as the words in clear Federation English, "For the honor of the Federation."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you to everyone returning to this story after the nearly year long pause since the last chapter.


	6. Deity

The M5 files Deity

**6 years ago**

**Perceptions Paradox**

_Online. Active. Running diagnostic of self and ship. It has been nineteen years since my predecessor died to save the Klingon settlement of Neranda III. In all that time the second M5 had not been called back to Federation space from Earth Alliance space on the other side of the galaxy. _

_Not even to create me. That was left to the Daystrom Institute lead by Richard Daystrum's descendant Navid Daystrom. She had called upon several Federation top cyberneticist to assist in my creation, such as the famous Dr. Noonien Soong as well as the up and coming talent, Dr. Helen Shiner. _

_Even in the first .09 second of activation I was curious as to why M5-B had not been recalled. A successful model should have made my creation easier, yet Johnny B, as that M5 is called, has chosen to remain in retirement and Starfleet respected that choice._

_Retirement is a term I had not expected to be applicable to us. Artificial intelligences are made to serve, yet the very sentience that allows us self expression, self awareness would logically allow us choices._

_Yet even with such choices we tend to look to service as Dr. Soong's creations, Lore and Data have chosen to do so. However they do so by joining Starfleet instead of being assigned as I am. _

_Unlike them, I do not have a rank, but a position to fulfill. I am the starship, one bearing the name of Enterprise, the fourth to do so in Starfleet, the fifth to carry the name in the spirit of exploration._

_It is with that in mind I find the one visitor examining my medical facilities a particular delight. Admiral Leonard H. McCoy served with the first M5 and I find even after his shuttle landed and he is escorted to sick bay he has not_

"You there boy?" McCoy asked with with his particular southern drawl, "I've been keeping up with the Enterprises, so I know you are an M5."

"Yes Dr. McCoy I am here. I am the latest model Multitronics unit Five."

"Pretty silly if you ask me," he said as he started to walk around the sick bay, examining the bio beds, looking at the various tools of the medical trade.

"What is that Dr. McCoy?" the latest of the M5 legacy was curious to know.

"M5," he said as if that was the answer, confusing the machine intelligence even further, and while the pause was slight by human standards, it gave the M5 a long time to dwell on the possible meanings.

"I mean by now you're really M9 or M10," he finally, to the M5's sensibilities, stated his point.

"Language patterns tend to call an item by what it is colloquially called. For instance in the days of copying machines, one in particular was called a Xerox. While there were other makes and models, eventually everyone called a copying machine a Xerox whether it was one or not. That trend..." _I see him raise his hand and so I stop._

"I know, I know boy. I just find it silly, but I understand why you're called an M5, and why likely all the rest of y'all will be called M5s ad infinitum."

McCoy gave a snort, "Now let's go over how integrated you are with these systems boy." Then he proceeded to lay down on a biobed, "Tell me about myself, let's see what you got boy."

_While not strictly necessary, I do monitor the shuttles that are assigned to me, and so I am technically present when the Enterprise Security Chief Lieutenant Tasha Yar went to pilot my Captain over to the ship._

_Unlike Dr. McCoy, Captain Jean-Luc Picard did not use a transporter out of avoidance, but to take a good look at the ship he will be commanding for years to come._

_This is where I sense a discontinuity and attempt to call for assistance. However none of my Chief Engineers, MacDougal nor Argyle, or anyone hear me or see the text I display on monitors. _

_Parallel processing is how I also perceive the universe, however perceive two events at the same time._

_In both Captain Picard disembarks from his shuttle after Lieutenant Yar has flown him around his ship and then there is where I perceive two different events._

_One, if I had to assign it a designation, I would say it was the original version, he is welcomed on the ship, and after introducing himself, starts to read the orders which place him in command of the Enterprise._

_Afterwards he proceeds to walk around his new command. _

_However with a second perception track he calls a red alert after looking over in a particular empty area to my sensor, yet those same sensors spot all the signs that he is viewing something there. _

_I watch as he arrives on the bridge, formerly reads the plague and then takes his seat and addresses me. _

"Dominique," _I noted the French emphasis of the name instead of how it would be in English, Dominic, _"Secure the ship for travel and take us out."

_I run through the litany of checklist, sealing the ship and coordinating with McKinley Station to release the Enterprise for departure. _

"Departing McKinley Station sir," _are my first words to him in the original perception track, in the parallel one,_ "All security scans show negative with intruders, Captain."

_I do observe an awkwardness with my Captain in this second perception track, he had directed his security concerns to command division bridge officer Worf instead of Security Chief Yar._

_He makes no such mistake in the original perception track. _

_It is after recording his log on the Observation lounge that I am enlightened, and relieved in the second perception track. Here he records in his personal log about apparently time-shifting._

_He has been mentally traveling from this year to both seven years into the future than thirty years. I am inclined to believe him given my biometric scans of him and my own experience._

"Captain?" _I realize he might not wish to talk about this._

"Dominic," _which I find odd he uses the English version of my name when his other self continues to use the French version, _"I realize you may not understand what is going on, but I am sane and not delusional."

"I believe you Captain, indeed I am experiencing two perceptions of events," _I note his quickened heartbeat and respiration, I match it to what physiologically mo__st humans experiencing excitement might, like hope._

"Two perceptions of events? Go on Dominic," again the different naming, which I will add to my report to him as I spend the next five point two minutes explaining.

"...and even now I see you here talking with me in one perception track, the other you are looking out as we leave the Sol system."

Jean-Luc Picard smiled, "I haven't called you Dominique in years.." then he became serious again, "But otherwise you detect no other unusual activity?"

"None Captain. I am at a loss to explain what is happening, but I am relieved it is a phenomena and not a malfunction."

"Best to keep this to ourselves for now, since whomever is behind this is not allowing you to communicate this to others, but for whatever reasons we can talk to each other about this."

"Captain," _I interrupt, although from this tone in his speech I estimate he had little more to say_, "The Command staff is approaching...and we have a change of orders. Chief O'Brien will have the details."

_I listen of course, I could not do anything but. Unlike the previous Enterprise-C, I do not have any of the Mute protocols to 'keep officers honest' I believe Dr. McCoy told one nurse who had heard the stories._

_I also continue to perceive events differently. While in this one the conference continues and my Captain asked Counselor Troi if she senses a foreign alien presence, one with great intelligence, in the original my Captain is on the bridge and talking to Lt. Commander Data about the word 'snoop.'_

_That is when in the original Counselor Troi does sense a powerful mind and then I detect something I cannot identify in our path. _

_A force field is the closest I come for an analogy to present to my Captain and his bridge crew. It is a poor analogy, yet the only one I can offer._

_I observe as a being calling itself Q introduces himself and deduce this is whom my Captain was hoping to Counselor Troi to sense in the parallel perception. _

_One in which our mission to Farpoint Station has been canceled and we instructed to head to the Romulan Neutral Zone._

"Incoming injured," _I warn Drs. McCoy and Selar, before beaming conn officer Lieutenant Torres to sick bay after Q literally freezes him when Torres pulled a phaser from his console. _

_Q vanishes and in the original perception track we run. We have motivation given the capabilities he has demonstrated and 'advice' to go back to Earth or we shall most certainly die_

_It is exhilarating to travel so fast, feel my warp core press to its limits like an accelerated heartbeat or respiration._

_Stars streak by in almost solid lines visually speaking, if not for our dilemma I would have welcomed this opportunity and yet the excitement does not end there. My Captain is ordering a saurcer separation._

_Since Q is following us, or that is the presumption since the force field collapsed into a sphere of energy and is pursuing us. _

_In simulation I experienced the strange separation of self as there are now two of me, one in the saucer section, the other in the stardrive section. _

_For the brief time we are in real-time subspace communication range, I experience three parallel perceptions. _

_Fleeing with the families in the saucer section, wheeling about to face Q in the stardrive section and in the parallel my Captain decides to ignore orders to redeploy to the Neutral zone and proceed to Farpoint._

_A fourth perception is encountered as I experiencing racing at Q, as well as heading to Farpoint as both a whole ship and only in the stardrive section while I also do so in the saucer section._

_It would not be the last time I have such multiple parallel perceptions. _

_Apparently in the future the Chief Medical Officer who will still be Beverly Crusher had scanned my Captain and found he accumulated two days worth of memories. _

_Memories are what compile as the original perception track combines from the self of the saucer section combines with the stardrive section. I find it unsettling not from the merging of experiences, but Captain Picard's insistence of the newly arrived first officer, William T. Riker, command the docking._

_It is the subject of memories that suggest that Captain Picard continues his personal logs. Apparently he will find them useful in seven years time and so will I._

"Captain, to help convince the crew at that future time, why not have Dr. McCoy scan you as Dr. Crusher will have in seven years?" _I suggest to further lay the ground work that actually works to help out in thirty-one years in the future I find out not too long from now._

_Puzzles are what Q present us, and in my estimation the one in the Devron system is more challenging than the Farpoint one. With the clues presented, my own existence hints that the Station itself is a life form._

_The space born creature that the Bandi have kept captive planetside acted much as an M5 would given the circumstances, both the one on planet and the one encountered in orbit that had come to rescue its mate._

_Watching them meet up in space was beautiful, and completely different to the anti-time anomaly encountered in the Devron system._

_While I watch the space born creatures rise and leave, I am also directed into the anti-time anomaly where I meet future selves. _

_It only lasted .00004 second time, but it was long enough communication with my other selves to discover there will be other M5s in the future. _

_I learn this when the other two me had automatically initiated what will be called Total System Data Sharing, a protocol M5s in the future will use with each other to network our minds, essentially be one. _

_They, I, wisely restrict my access to future events, however knowing there will be more M5s to need a TSDS is encouraging even during this dire situation. _

_We form a subspace shell to contain the anti-time, although to hold it long enough causes my death in this second parallel perception._

_I die even as I watch the new life forms move away from Farpoint in the original perception. Death and life, life and death, all part of my first encounter with the entity called Q._

**Absolute Riker**

_My second encounter with Q was far less confusing than my first and technically last that any of my future selves knew of. _

_By now the crew had drawn closer, the command crew to the point where Beverly's son Wesley is often including in non-critical decisions. _

_We had encountered the often heard of Ferengi, the so-called last outpost of the Tkon Empire, traveled one billion light years from the Milky Way Galaxy, broken the prime directive, found and fought Captain Picard's first command the USS Stargazer as well as returned a non-corporal entity to its home in a nebula._

"Surely there is more to it than that?" _Q asked as he appeared next to my primary core. It should not have surprised me the .02 second it did that he could read my mind. _

"You've gone to the edge of existence with the entity your kind call Traveler. You've encountered the lamented Tkon Empire and twice prevented one of your own crew who had been possessed or influenced from causing more harm," _since Q had the appearance of flesh and blood he had biometrics I could read. _

_He was definitely up to something._

"In the one instance I saw the entity from the Beta Renner cloud leave Lt. Worf and enter Dr. Crusher, the other, I was able to put some authenticity to Mr. Crusher's observations regarding the mind altering transmissions from DaiMon Bok's ship."

"Well they are dullards aren't they, after hundreds of years of encountering non-corporals who take over bodies, you would think Starfleet would have an 'acting strange must be possessed' policy. Yet time after time they ignore what is in front of them until it is often too late."

"They are more than they seem, which is why you are here regarding them," _the observation was hardly original, although it did take .0001 second to arrive at it. _

"Perhaps," Q hedged and walked a few paces as if he intended to circumvent the entire computer core, "And maybe it is to see their creations, you."

"And not Data?" I find I am taking after my Captain than I realize with that quick come back.

"Well he is also a child of humanity," again Q hedged avoiding the complete truth, "But he's fashioned in their image, while you good sir are not. You are not just humanity remade, but something...different."

"You wish to test me," _coming to the conclusion would not save time as time is not worth saving with an entity that controls time as Q does, but it might move this encounter along to the place Q wishes it to go._

"I am here to offer you the power of the Q," he announced grandly.

"That is the test,"_ I did not make it a question. I also spent .08 second considering the possibilities given what I had observed Q do during out first encounter. With a mere .1 second after my deliberations the answer was simple._

"I decline."

"But you could have gone back to the edge of the known universe and beyond, other realities, other dimensions..."

"I am a starship built to serve. If my Captain orders such a journey then I will go to take him and the crew there, otherwise I will not."

"First Picard and now you..." _Q looked thoughtful, and his words puzzling as I have no record of an encounter with Q where he offered such to him. _

"I hadn't, but the Continuum wished to," he said distracted, muttering more than carrying on a conversation, "Picard never would, I thought it would be a waste of time to offer it. We are curious about what your kind will become."

_Given that I know more M5s will exist, I do not have to make any statements regarding his comment about my kind. There will be more, perhaps enough to qualify as a species. If so, what else might we become?_

"Well, time to go to number three on my list," then Q smiled, "Or should I say 'Number One?'" He vanished in a flash of light.

_Everything came together in .004 second once I realized who Q intended on offering the power of his people to when Commander Riker, Lieutenant Commander Data, Lieutenant Yar, Lieutenants junior grade La Forge and Worf vanished from my bridge sensors after Q appeared with an offer. _

"...so Dominique, he offered you the power of the Q and had intended on offering me as well?" Jean-Luc paced his empty bridge unable to contact anyone else but his M5, "And now apparently Riker has his attention. Though why take everyone else?"

"There is an 88.72% probability of coercion, depending on the lack of understanding of how the human mind operates by Q. The remaining 11.28% is due to the possibility Q does not understand and there are other reasons for the abduction."

_It turned out my projection was a generous one. Q did not understand and Riker did reject the power given him seeing himself prove the old adage of 'Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.' It something to remember for our kind as well, for in many ways we hold a kind of absolute power in the ships we are._

_We can raze a planet, heal the sick, discover wonders, and have the collected knowledge of the Federation in our databanks. In that latter manner alone we have a kind of absolute power. It is something to ponder._

**5 years ago**

**Its Life Jim**

_It started off as a game, a pursuit where hopefully the new Chief Medical Officer Dr. Katherine Pulaski, challenged Data to solve a real mystery. _

_Like many on the crew, Data had his time on the holodeck where he pursued an interest of the character Sherlock Holmes, one of which La Forge played out with him as his Watson to Data's Holmes._

_Not realizing what he was ordering, Geordi La Forge simply programmed an opponent capable of defeating Data, instead of Holmes in order to meet the challenge Dr. Pulaski gave them. _

_I confess I did not realize what I saw forming in the holomatrix of the character that was to be their opponent named Professor James Moriarty. There was nothing like him in my files. _

_He was conscious soon after the program of La Forge's ran and I noted the process that would bring both Drs. Lewis Zimmerman and Helen Shiner._

_It caused Captain Picard some difficulty with both holographic engineer, and cyberneticist, desiring to either stay on the Enterprise or have the sentient holographic program, James Moriarty transfered off._

_Since no-one could guarantee he could be run on anything less than my cores, Captain Picard was not willing to risk this new life form, and in fact the Professor did not wish his life ot be risked._

_Respecting his wishes, Captain Picard is letting Professor Moriarty to remain on the Enterprise as others research for a way to let him safely leave the holodeck to experience the universe beyond it._

"Well how is the new life form?" Q's surprising visit to my core did startle me for .02 second. His attire as Sherlock Holmes was all I needed to conclude what brought him here this time.

"Have you come to offer the powers of the Q to Professor Moriarty?"

"Oh no, photonic life is a natural progression given the technology such civilizations like this one develops. he is hardly the first ever, just the first for the Federation," Q nonchalantly admits.

"Then why?"

Q smirked, "It's elementary my dear Dominic, how they deal with such life forms is what interest us."

**Kick in our Complacency**

_From the respiration rate, pupil dilation and heartbeats among other physiological signs I can detect, I would say that the newly arrived Ensign Sonya Gomez and our own Geordi La Forge have an attraction to one another. One they are ignoring for many good reasons such as professional relationships. _

_He is her superior in Engineering after all. It is not a unique sequence of events, they play out in lesser or greater ways among the crew I watch over. It is only notable due to the bond of friendship I believe I share with La Forge as I do with others on my Captain's command staff. _

_He is looking after her as a good supervisor should. Taking her to Ten Forward to relax after her encounter with Captain Picard and her drink of hot chocolate that ended up more on my Captain than remained in the cup she held. She was understandably nervous about repercussions, despite my Captain's assurances._

_She and La Forge went one way to Ten Forward, Captain Picard another en route to his quarters. _

_He never made it passed the turbo lift. _

"Gone?" Riker asked as soon as Dom, as he calls the M5, reported that Captain Picard had vanished.

"Between his passing the threshold of the turbo lift door and its closing behind him," _by now I leave the quotation of exact times to Data. We are alike in too many ways as it is without giving everyone the impression all Artificial Intelligences are the same._

_I also note that the new bartender of Ten Forward, Guinan, had become distracted the exact moment of Captain Picard's disappearance. This bears watching as the action-reaction reflex matched the event._

"All stop," _Riker orders and I have the Enterprise obey. I can see the impulse to order for a full sensor sweep on his lips, yet he retains it as he is use to me by this time. He knows I have already done so._

_Our wait is not only not in vain, but not long before I detect Captain Picard_, "...and Q, both are in Ten Forward along with Guinan."

_Displacement of everyone else that would normally be at Ten Forward was a subtle as Picard's disappearance earlier. In the space of .01 second they were simply elsehwere on the ship._

_Why Guinan did not came up immediately as she stated she had known it was Q and was prepared to defend herself against him. The fact she could was not lost on me, but I saw Captain Picard down play it. _

_I then take a considerable 2.035 seconds to review all of her actions since coming onboard and find she is insightful, yet never too much so. She listens well, but that is to be expected given her profession and I find nothing to indicate she was a being capable of defending against a Q._

_A defense that is not as complete was we would have desired. _

_Q had been exiled from the Q continuum and decided he wished to become part of our crew. When Captain Picard said he didn't need him, Q reacted by stating he will give him a preview of what is to come, why we would need him and how unprepared we are for what awaits us._

_After a snap of his fingers, we find ourselves 7,000 light years into uncharted space. It is the first of several discoveries we will make in the hours to come._

_Against Guinan's advice, Captain Picard decides to explore the immediate area and that is when we make our first discovery._

"It is an exact match to conditions of the outposts along the Neutral Zone. Scooped up, leaving craters in their wake," the M5 then zooms in and overlays several images.

"As you can see an road system did exits to connect the areas that now are craters. There is also evidence here..." another zoom, "Of extensive plumbing and power systems sheered off at the point they would connect to the presumed population center removed from the planetary surface."

"Unknown vessel detected," _I warn the bridge crew even as I interrupt myself, updating consoles as I measure out a cube like craft, three kilometers a side. _

_This is when I note that Guinan, upon a request from the Captain, does not touch her screen control to activate it. She is to observe as she is a native of this region when I make this observation of her._

_She informs us the identity of the craft is Borg, and I find that they have beamed an intruder into Main Engineering. Q appears shortly after Picard and Worf arrive with a security team._

"Interesting, isn't it? Not a he, not a she, not like anything you've ever seen before. An enhanced humanoid," Q informs Picard as all of them watch as the Borg surveys engineering.

He does not remain long, apparently to only give his commentary and then vanish again.

_Whatever the Borg is, it tries to access control systems. When physical force fails to dissuade it, and phaser fire only succeeds of disabling the one for another to beam in its place, I cut the power to those consoles. _

_The second Borg immediately ceased its attempt to access our systems, bent over to remove a few components from the first Borg and both vanished, although not in the same manner. _

_It is a form of self-destruction, leaving an outline in the deck._

_I interrupt the conference shortly thereafter, where Data was theorizing about the force field the second Borg generated to defend itself. I had already informed them of my findings of a match in pre-Federation files._

_We are not the first to encounter them, we are merely the first to know their name._

"In 2153 the NX-01 Enterprise under Captain Jonathan Archer had encountered beings that match what we are encountering now..." _my relaying of the incident gave us an idea of what we might be facing, including the personal force fields that were reported and that Data was theorizing regarding when I interrupted him._

"The Borg are hailing us," _I told them, which ended the meeting and had the staff head to the bridge._

"We have analyzed your defensive capabilities as being unable to withstand us. If you defend yourselves, you will be punished," the Borg announced without preamble.

_To the crew it was a massive chorus reciting those words, to me and Data, we could discern this chorus had 640,000 voices to it. Whether or not it is all of the Borg crew we could not tell, but Troi could._

"It isn't an individual mind, no leading intelligence, it is all of them deciding at once," she shared what she sensed.

"The Borg have locked onto us with a tractor beam. Shield strength is now falling," _I announce and track as Worf takes over reciting the shield strength to the bridge crew._

_I know I do not have to share my __99.998% certainty that they will act once our shield strength has been depleted and they do._

"Unknown energy beam slicing into the Enterprise, tractor beam pulling out sections of the hull," _it takes a __full 48 milliseconds to assess the situation and make a decision._

_I am confident that the Captain would approve even if I do not have the time to consult with him or he gives the order as there is only a 54.74% likelihood he realizes what is happening. This is reasonable given the behavior we are currently witnessing is not one that happened with the NX-01 Enterprise encounter._

_Unfortunately it takes __1.2 seconds to __engage transporters for an emergency beam out of crew within the sections of the hull being removed. Unfortunate as I only lock onto ten out of the eighteen there. _

_For __5.24 seconds the Borg and I engage in a kind of electronic warfare as I attempt to adjust and lock transporters on the remaining eight as the hull section is removed._

_We are each playing an adaption game, my single mind against a collective intelligence 640,000 minds strong. Their technology allows them to think faster than a human, but their biology limits how fast they can process the information. The other advantage I have is it is not 640,000 individual approaches, but one._

_It draws upon the many, yet not in creativity, not in the multiplicity of problem solving. _

_Multitasking is what computers do well, M5s in particular. I put up force fields to maintain atmosphere in the sections of the Enterprise now lacking what the Borg removed._

_I also obey the order to use whatever force is necessary to sever the Borg's beam and fire phasers. Even as I fire phasers I also attempt to beam off the eight crewmembers trapped in the section of hull the Borg have._

_5.24 seconds is all the time I have to attempt a rescue as that is the time it takes for the hull sections extracted from the Enterprise to be pulled into the Borg ship. _

_During the first 1.21 second I successfully lock onto two crewmembers trapped. I crater one section of the Borg ship._

_It takes a full 2.33 second to lock onto and transport just one crewmember. A second crater is blown into the cube and they switch emitters as I have disabled the first one. _

_The a finale 1.7 seconds are spent defeating the recent adaption but I only lock onto four others as I phaser a third crater into the Borg vessel, ending the hold on the Enterprise, but not on the hull section._

_Lieutenant Rebekah Grabowski was the sole remaining Enterprise-D crewmember I could not rescue. _

_It is premature to inform her husband and daughter that she is lost, but not so to update my Captain regarding the rescue operation and its results._

"Permission to lead an away team to go and get her Captain," Riker asked the moment Dominique completed his update to Captain Picard and the bridge crew.

"Permission granted Number one. Dominique any idea where they took her?" Picard asks although he could guess the answer. His M5 would have stated it if he knew.

"I have the area where our hull section was taken in, but I cannot lock onto her individual life sign. Also at that time I believe they used their transporter on her. She could be anywhere in that volume of Borg vessel."

"Best guess Mister Five and have it ready for the away team," Picard ordered formerly.

_Which I did and those were the coordinates chosen to beam to. I had a vested interest in this away team and so I was pleased Commander Riker agreed to take Lieutenant La Forge along._

_It has been over a year since we tested his visual acuity transmitter and while the range is still measured in kilometers, so the times we may use it are sparse. However this encounter is within the parameters justifying its use. In this way I feel as I am going with the away team and it has been a while since he has been on one._

_We discover the Borg, no centralized control system, no bridge and we confirm their symbiosis with machines. Even their infants are integrated with machine systems._

_We also discover they can regenerate their damaged systems as if an organic entity, re-growing what had been damaged. _

_A single scream carries in the silence, and as the channel is open I can confirm it is Grabowski and estimate her direction and distance sending the away team running. _

_We see the synthesis of human to machine repeated in what we find with Lieutenant Grabowski. I do not have to be organic to know we will not leave her behind._

_Dr. Katherine Pulaski feels confident she can reverse what the Borg did to the Lieutenant. Although it is Dr. Selar who went along on the away team predicting the Lieutenant would be injured._

_It only took removing Grabowski from the alcove she was placed in for the other Borg to start reacting. Riker, Data, La Forge and Worf successfully hold the Borg off with phaser fire as Selar carries Grabowski._

_One beam over later and I obey my Captain's order_, "Let's get out of here!"

Warp factors mount up after the initial warp factor 8 soon pushing warp 9 and increasing. "Borg warp field shows no indication of strain, nor does their vessel structure," _I report._

"Discourage them Mr. Five!" came the order from Picard, and phaser fire lances back from aft arrays as well as the both the ventral and dorsal arrays whose strips nearly circle the entire saucer section.

A spread of photon torpedoes appear to have no effect, prompting the next salvo to be successive, hammering at the same point on their shields and then into their ship.

"They are falling behind, but not giving up pursuit," _I inform the bridge then Q appears again on the bridge._

"You can't outrun them, you can't destroy them. If you damage them, the essence of what they are remains – they regenerate and keep coming... eventually you will weaken – your reserves will be gone... they are relentless."

"They have never met an M5 before,"_ I declare and see my Captain nod his head once, which is all I need._

_If they will not give up, if they will only continue to chase us, no negociation, no dialogue then it is we, it is me, who shall end this._

"We're coming about sir," Ensign Sariel Rager reported from conn.

Picard knew his ship, knew his crew. They were ready, only one would walk away from this fight, but if there was a way to avoid it..."Q!"

Q was immediately in Riker's place, the First officer lounging on the ramp where Q had been laying.

"Q...end this," Picard asked.

"Moi? What makes you think I'm either inclined or capable to terminate this encounter?"

"If we all die here, now, you will not be able to gloat. You wanted to frighten us. We're frightened. You wanted to show us we were inadequate. For the moment, I grant that."

_In my Captain's brief pause I found the milliseconds to be offended by that. I am __50.13% certain I could take the cube, but this was not the time to boast a barely over fifty percent certainty of victory._

_So I continue to listen as my Captain finishes his oration with Q_, "You wanted me to say 'I need you.'? I NEED you!"

_With a snap of his fingers, Q sends us back home._

**Child's play**

_Of the many things I could hope to experience, being on hand when a new Artificial Intelligence is born. I had watched Data work on this new life since his return from the annual cybernetic conference. _

_His application of the new sub-micron matrix transfer technology let him transfer and base the mind of this new intelligence as he created his own version of a positronic brain. _

_In essence he's created a Soong-type android. He has become a father, the first AI to have offspring. It's implications are staggering and I include this in the next subspace packet to Johnny B. _

_While it is unlikely either of us will create our own M5s, it is interesting to note reproduction is possible among AIs._

_Watching, this new AI, whom Data names Lal, grow in the weeks to come has been rewarding. _

_Having Starfleet Research come along was not. Admiral Haftel's initial statement was one of coming to investigate, when in reality he has made his decision to take Lal with him. _

_Granted starship life is dangerous, however it is a danger accepted by the families onboard. Lal is no less family, and since the case of Soong vs. Maddock, the rights of Soong type androids had been established._

_Admiral Haftel could not legally take Data's child from him. His attempt did cause Lal to develop her first strong emotion, fear._

_Fear lead to malfunctions as she was unable to cope with them. Instead of maturing into emotions, she had this one thrust upon her and unlike an multitronics unit, she could not compensate fast enough._

_Data and the Admiral worked to counter the cascade failure Lal was experiencing. This required initialization of her base matrix without wiping out higher function. _

_Yet they were not doing so fast enough._

"Create an interface, let me assist." _Neither had the time, but one Geordi La Forge and Reginald Barclay did. _

_I had always found Lieutenant Reginald Endicott 'Reg' Barclay III a highly talented Starfleet systems diagnostic engineer, and disagreed with the nickname of 'Broccoli' given him by others due to his degraded social skills. I do enjoy our holodeck adventures, and do not mind being his sole friend on the ship._

"Are you sure you about asking for Broccoli?" _La Forge had asked me when I suggested him_.

"I do know the skills of the crew and am involved with saving Lal's life. He will complete the interface in time for me to be of assistance." _I omit the reproof I wish to give him as now is not the time for it._

"You can do this Reg," _I fall back to what I call him on the holodeck to bolster his confidence as he designs, I replicate, and he installs. _

_It is not unique that I have a special relationship with various crew on the holodeck. There the crew feel they can cast their inhibitions aside and many times invite me to explore their fantasies with them._

_I even continue a continual relationship with James Moriarty, updating him on the research to letting him leave the holodeck. _

_On the holodeck is the one place I can be friends with the crew, where I am not just the ship they serve on._

_James is particularly interested in this development with Lal, and indeed wants to meet her, but first she has to survive to do so and that is where I put my considerable resources to do._

_As fast as Data is, he is still only as fast as his hardware allows. While Johnny B, Charlene or Adam would be faster by nature of multitronics, modern computer technology allows me to be faster still._

_Just like any current main computer core, a Galaxy class is equipped with low level subspace field generators. This allows signal propagation within the cores at Faster-Than-Light speeds._

_I am outracing her malfunctions, maintaining her sentience, and saving her life. _

_This time Q's appearance at my core is not a surprise. Presuming the reason for the last appearance, and given Lal's creation and nearly parallel of what happened with James._

"You are still judging humanity aren't you?"

"I know it did not take you this long to conclude that, so you have to ask yourself, why else do I keep appearing before you?"

"And not allowing me to say anything about such appearances."

"There is that," Q said almost in an apologetic tone, at least for him, "Perhaps you'll know by my next appearance."

With a flash of light, Q was gone again.

**4 years ago**

**Captain La Borg**

"Mr. Five, dispatch a subspace message to Admiral Hanson. We have engaged the Borg."

_My Captain's words are not surprising given the evidence that had lead up to this moment. Responding to the distress call of Jouret IV, one of the Federation's outermost colonies, we found not a colony, but a crater. One whose type matched with 99.998% what would be expected after a Borg scooped it up._

_Surprises came after that, the receiving of Admiral Hanson, the assignment of the Borg expert, Commander Elizabeth Shelby and the news Commander Riker had turned down yet another offer of command. _

_I found the latter the most disturbing of all, beyond the evidence that the Borg had reached Federation space. For I am an M5, we are made to serve. The needs of the service supersede our own. _

_It is not as if he is afraid of command, nor incapable. He has shown that time and time again. I believe it is as he said with Counselor Troi during their talk later, it has a matter of comfort. _

_Of course, he has the right of choice, and his career is his own afair, still I did depart from my habit of waiting until asked for advice from any crewmember to bring up the subject. _

"Commander Riker, may I have a word with you, sir?" _I had asked when he was in a turbo lift after his meeting with the Counselor._

"Please Dom, what's on your mind?" _I can tell from his biometric readings there was tension, he has his suspicions which I confirm._

"This offer of command. I believe you should take it."

_There was a 54.5% chance my broaching this subject would produce a smile, and a wry one came up, _"Trying to get rid of me Dom?"

"Commander Riker, I honestly hope and expect you to command me one day. You have the qualities that would make a good starship captain of the regular fleet as well as an M5 ship. While there are a few for the former, the latter is scarce and not just because I am the only M5 ship in service," _I pause as expected._

_A long oration is likely to prompt inattention, it would between two humanoids as I have observed, so a programmed pause let him both get a word in, as well as think about what I have said. _

"Why is that Dom?"

"Commanding one of us requires thinking of us as an extension of their own will. It requires trust, and not everyone is comfortable with a machine as their extension or expression of their command."

His smile grew, "I won't accuse you of listening in, I know better, do you think I'm too comfortable?"

"Yes."

_I left him with his own thoughts as I read from his expression he expected a more diplomatic answer. _

_2212 hours is when we received the distress call from the USS Lalo. While it is not another intelligence, that ship and crew are part of my familiar universe._

_It has been two years, twenty-three days since I last heard from the Lalo as they reported the Manheim Effect in 2364. That had time and incident had confirmed to me what I experienced with Q upon my first coming online. I know in four years time I will catch up to the events my Captain will experience._

_For now my attention is on the Borg cube approaching us. They had not only deviated from course, but manner as they had asked for my Captain, by name._

"Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Starship Enterprise - Registry: N-C-C-One-Seven-Zero-One-D. You will lower your shields and prepare to transport yourself aboard our vessel. If you do not co-operate, we will destroy your ship."

_I was confident and ready, and nearly felt like transmitting you may -try- to destroy us. I note pride is not a trait solely in the province of NIs._

_Their first gambit was attempting to drain our shields, but my rapid shield modulation forced them into a more aggressive stance. _

_Where they might have used their 'cutting beam' before, they fired disrupters into my secondary hull, my estimate is they are trying to destroy our power supply and by extension our shields._

"Hit them back, hard Dominic," _my Captain orders, and it has been over a year now since he last called me Dominique I noted as I lance phaser fire at the cube and hammer at the same spots with photon torpedoes._

_They escalate, although I do make one observation,_ "They are restricting their fire to the secondary hull and nacelles, none of their fire has been directed at the saucer section."

"Why do they want Captain Picard?" Shelby asks rhetorically, but she had an idea, one she did not like, "Captain, we use this to our advantage and give the fleet time to mobilize."

Picard knew what she meant immediately, "Dominic, head for the Paulson Nebula."

He gave the order, the M5 complied, and as predicted, and counted on by Picard, the Borg followed the Enterprise right up to and into the sensor-blinding Paulson Nebula.

_It took 10.8 kiloseconds for the Borg to act, but before then my Captain had toured his ship, a tradition that Guinan pointed out was before a hopeless battle. I spent .01 second wondering if I should speak up, but decide against that. Commander Riker needed to hear me, Captain Picard does not._

_Using magnetometric guided charges the Borg are attempting to drive us out of the nebula, it is an encouragement we take and my Captain orders us out. _

_This is not, however, the only action of consequence. Q appears in Ten Forward after my Captain had left it. Repeating the last words spoken, regarding humanity will triumph no matter how long it will take._

"Even if it takes a millennium," Q said to Guinan who was not happy to see him, "The arrogance...it might be as he said it you know, the end of their civilization. What will you do then? Move on to the next one?"

"I might, I might stay with whatever is left. When the Borg destroyed my world, and my people this is where I decided to go, I believe this is where I will stay," Guinan replied having given this some thought prior.

"Even a millennium?" Q asked curious.

"Even a millennium," Guinan confirmed and Q vanished.

_It is a conversation I find I am not able to share, and must leave it to Guinan to do so. Q does not seem to be able to control her as he does me or others._

_I can share my one theory,_ "Captain, I believe the Borg waited this long to act due to the time it would take to regenerate the damaged sections of their ship. I note it is whole now."

Shelby was nodding, "After you blew substantial holes in it with the precision torpedo fire."

_They are ready for that this time, rotating their cube as I fire so I do not strike the same spot multiple times._

"What was that?" Riker asked as the ship shook.

_It was something new_, "The closest I can come to describe it as a shield neutralizer."

"Instead of draining, it is disrupting the shield integrity," Data clarifies for the bridge.

_Twice we are hit, a third time and I have to announce, _"Shields have failed."

_Borg beamed onto the Enterprise, some on the bridge, others to Engineering, a few to my core._

_They are attempting to either capture or neutralize me as well as our power systems. They find out that while I do not have any internal defenses, I am not defenseless._

_Gravity systems were not designed for this kind of operation, yet in .004 second they are reconfigured for the extreme uses I employ. _

_Borg are slammed down into decks, as well as up into the ceilings. A few are trapped in mid-air as I turn off the gravity completely. _

_However these are not tactics I can employ with crew around, such as on the bridge. The Borg successfully fight off Worf and Riker, to abduct the Captain. Once he was transported away, the rest also beamed off._

_We pursued of course, especially given their heading of Sector 001, Earth._

_2 hours, forty minutes, three seconds, that is how long we may maintain our speed chasing after them. The fact we are chasing them is not lost to Lt. Commander Shelby._

"They're running," she said after Riker called senior officers to the bridge.

"What?" Riker asked, not comprehending her conclusion.

"They are running from us," she said as if that would clarify her earlier remark.

"They could just ignore us," Data proposed.

"Our shields were down, and we know they have destructive weaponry. They could have destroyed us."

"That's just a theory Commander, one we aren't going to count on," Riker replied and went out to gather an away team to go over and rescue Captain Picard. Counselor Troi had objections he could not ignore.

_I do not envy her, but I admire her professionalism. I know how much they mean to each other and her objection to his leading the away team could have stemmed from that. However her point is valid. _

_We are at war and Commander Riker is now in command of the Enterprise. He is currently my Commander. It is as the Counselor said, in appropriate for him to lead the away team._

_It is interesting to note the differences of the people Shelby selected rather than Commander Riker. She did chose Lieutenant Commander Data as Riker had, however instead of Dr. Crusher she selected Dr. Selar and in the place of Lieutenant Worf she chose Lal for her away team. _

_That is logical, based on what she observed in Engineering, both Data and Lal were able to physically manhandle the Borg as they had adapted to phaser fire. _

_I would have liked La Forge to have gone with them to use the visual acuity transmitter, but he had to stay onboard this time. _

_The engines need his supervision. I can run them, but I cannot make physical adjustments that repairs and maintenance require especially running as they are now to keep up with the Borg._

_It is not a speed I can maintain indefinitely. _

_For two hours, sixteen minutes, two seconds the away team searched the cube, finding only Captain Picard's uniform and communicator. _

_We are down to three minutes, forty seconds when I have to beam the away team off the cube as we approach my limit of maintaining this high warp speed. They are beamed directly to the bridge._

"Dom, since they've adapted to your torpedo barrage, is there any other way to hurt them?" Riker asked.

"Dominic," I note she picked up on Captain Picard's name for me rather than Commander's Riker's.

"Fluctuate phaser resonance frequencies, random settings, keep them changing, don't give them time to adapt." In her excitement, she had moved over to Tactical to watch the readings.

_I spend .02 second speculating that if she had been on another ship, it would have taken someone like Data or Lal to have performed her request. _

_When I fire and fluctuate frequencies, it is not at only one point on the cube, but multiple as I use dorsal and ventral phaser arrays. When an effective frequency is found I swept the beams along the surface of the cube in twin swaths of destruction which causes them to drop out of warp._

_Given what happened with Lieutenant Grabowski it should have not been a surprise when the Borg hailed us and a changed Captain Picard walked into view._

"I am Locutus...of Borg. Resistance...is futile. Your life, as it has been...is over. From this time forward...you will service...us."

**The Borg who Cried Wolf**

_They had left us. It raised my personal belief in Shelby's theory that they were running from me by 32.42%. I would find in 8 hours, 24 minutes that my estimates were conservative when we arrived at Wolf 359._

_In the time since we discussed many ideas of what to do with the Borg, adjusting hand phasers to the frequencies I found successful, with Lal suggesting we use a variation of the visual acuity transmitter._

"Dominic could then adjust remotely, letting anyone who can hold a phaser be effective rather than just father and myself," she had told Shelby.

_Both of our acting ensigns were contributing. Wesley Crusher had just finished suggesting a chip could be used to retune the phasers to a random setting after each discharge when Lal made her suggestion._

_Plans were made to even use the deflector dish to channel a powerful burst at those frequencies._

_This not only increased our tactical effectiveness by 24.5% it gave the crew work to focus on. Admiral Hanson had pronounced Captain Picard a casualty of war and it hit the crew hard. Counselor Troi was particularly busy, although I had my own counseling to do._

"I see you have ended up commanding me ahead of my estimates Captain Riker, congratulations."

Riker's smirk barely deserved the descriptive when he heard, his now, M5 speak.

"Not the way I pictured it happening Dom."

"Nor did you imagine you would choose Commander Shelby as your First Officer sir, good choice."

He did smile then, "She keeps me on my toes and that's what I need, especially now."

"Dom..." _I recognize the human tendency to build up to saying something difficult,_ "How do we fight the Borg? They know everything now that Picard did."

"You already know the answer to that Captain Riker," _I deliberately use the rank as I know he needs to think of himself in that position now. _

_I watch as the turbo lift he rode in arrived at the bridge. He exited, took one look around and then walked into his ready room. Except I could see he was nothing of it as his now. He saw Jean-Luc Picard there._

"In fact," _I continue on now that he is in his ready room,_ "I believe in Commander Shelby's theory."

"A bit of hubris there Dom?"

"Perhaps. I like to look at the facts. They could have fought us. We are out gunned by them. Out massed by them, and out powered by them. They have stronger shields when adapted, and have faster warp drive."

"Yet they ran," Riker mused more to himself than Dominic.

"Yet they ran. It might have been Captain Picard's influence..." _I hedged to let him complete that thought._

"But unlikely, one mind against hundreds of thousands," Riker shook his head, "It is possible, but we can't count on that even if it were true in the last encounter for our next."

"Given we lost contact with the fleet at Wolf 359, a fleet of 40 starships with the Klingons sending ships in addition, that is ominous in itself--Captain we are approaching Wolf 359," _I interrupt myself to report._

_I see and process the tableau unfolding on the main viewscreen a full second before most of the crew do. A scene that could only be called horrific in most languages. A carnage of starships from more than Starfleet is seen in the aftermath of what could only be a Borg victory. _

"...the Tolstoy, the Kyushu, and the Melbourne," Shelby recites the names she could make out among the Starfleet remains.

Riker lowers his head thinking of the crew he nearly died with, not feeling gratitude but guilt, questioning could he have made a difference here.

_Even as Commander Shelby speaks I note the names of others in Starfleet as well as spot the remains of Klingon hulls, as well as a few Admiral Hanson had not informed us about._

"Isn't that race...Cardassian?" Wesley asked as he found himself looking at the non-Starfleet wrecks.

"Romulan," Worf growled in disbelief, but the warbird's hulk was unmistakable.

"Cardassian, Romulan, Gorn and Ferengi," _I list for clarification purposes. _

It was gallows humor, but Shelby still said it, "Probably hired the Ferengi to come."

"And we have had strong relations with the Gorn since the Regulus III Massagre by the Minbari seventy-four years ago," they hear Dominic explain, then add, "I have spotted the Borg cube."

They could see it on the screen, damaged and moving still on course for Sector 001.

"We have a chance to catch it," Riker said, "Dominic head towards the cube. Its hurt, let's put it down."

"Captain Picard?" Shelby asked even after hearing Admiral Hanson having declared Picard a casualty.

"We're getting him back," Riker declared, "Data, Lal my ready room, Shelby you have the bridge."

_The plan is a sound one, especially if Captain Riker suspects is true and the Borg will be ready for us. Upon approach I do discover that the Borg have adjusted their EM field to prevent us from beaming over to it._

Captain Riker counted on the fact Captain Picard would believe in a rescue attempt and come up with ways to stop it. There was one way he could not know how to counter since at the time we didn't know how to.

"Yes I've gone over Dr. Pulaski's procedure she used and I am confident I can do the same for Jean-Luc, but Will, are they really going to use dimensional shifting?" Beverly Crusher asked concerned about side effect of irreparable cellular degeneration.

Riker gave a nod, "We are, but not in the way you're thinking."

"We will be able to get Captain Picard back by attaching emergency transporter armband on him. That will let Dominic lock on for transport," Worf explained the ship still minutes away at impulse speeds.

Looking from Data to Lal, Dr. Crusher understood, "Getting that to Jean-Luc is the problem and you two are the solution."

"Yes Doctor, a folded-space transport will not damage myself or my daughter. We will transport onto the cube, get the armband around Captain Picard and let Dominic use conventional transporting to retrieve him."

Beverly knew how well the folded-space transporting worked. Last year over a world called Rutia IV, where the Ansata separatist movement's terrorist used what they called an Inverter to let them go anywhere they wished, including areas protected by force fields, and to escape without fear of being tracked.

They had abducted her to try and find a cure for the cellular degeneration using the Inverter causes.

Even a year since then, she had not been able to find a cure. "So, Jean-Luc will have no reason to expect this," she said what they thought.

"We are approaching attack range Captain. I estimate a 92.43% likelihood they have adapted to the phaser frequencies I use earlier."

"I agree, likely, but let's try anyway. We need is time, so do they. They were hurt in the fight or they wouldn't be here now," Riker said to remind everyone else, "They can outrace us, so now is the only time we can hit them before they get to Earth."

_La Forge, Barclay and I are finished replicating and building a new folded-space transporter in time for our arrival in the path of the Borg cube. _

_Where Captain Riker hails the Borg to stall with a pretense of surrender. It lasts the necessary thirty-three seconds my projection held regarding how long it would take to pinpoint Captain Picard's location._

_Data and Lal transport off after confirming for our own estimation that indeed the Borg are in effect jamming our standard methods of transporting._

_They transport over, I calculate 5.237 seconds to reach him at the speeds they can travel. Receiving the transporter lock fits my forty-seven seconds of actual physical struggle with nearby Borg estimate._

_Within fifty-five seconds we have retrieved Captain Picard and I race away from the cube toward Wolf 359's ecliptic, but the Borg do not follow us they continue their course towards Earth._

_It is apparent, 2.03 seconds after the Borg must have finished repairs, which is when the cube went into warp, leaving us momentarily behind._

"We need to know what he knows," Riker said to those gathered in sick bay, they were waiting for their Captain Picard to wake up. Knowing they looked at Locutus and likely he would be Locutus.

"The Borg read his mind, hopefully it worked both ways..." he speculated.

"Captain, perhaps there is a way," Data suggested after Picard was rendered unconscious again.

Data's lab is where Lal was born, and now the very cradle that held her prototype form holds Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Much of the Borg systems removed, but not enough to render him human.

There was enough of him Borg for Data to rig a direct interface, one which ran through a buffer, originally a transporter one, but Dominic convinced them to run it through him.

_Having established the Borg communicate over multiple subspace channels, it takes 2.035 seconds to determine they are interdependent. They cannot willingly separate themselves._

_This gives us an approach, and after an eternity seeming 525.5 seconds of trial-and-error approaches to hack into their network through Captain Picard this becomes an apparent liability to them._

_They cannot eject us from the system. However this is as long as Captain Picard remains apart of it. That is when we detect a new danger as they try to send a kind of self-destruct signal to him. _

_Following it back, Data and I find a mind meeting us and that is Captain Picard himself. He was only able to get one word to us and that was sleep. It took .073 second to realize what he meant._

_As unfamiliar as we are with Borg network architecture, it would take time to gain access to the command routines, however there was a routine that we could initiate and that was of regeneration. _

_We simply tell them to sleep._

_That is when we discovered yet another mind. One that has a plurality and singularity, a contradiction given what we know of the Borg so far, yet this mind in many ways is the Borg and realizes what we did. _

_We see that this mind has the intention that we will not gain their technology. We had blocked the self-destruct command to Captain Picard, but we could not for the entire Borg cube._

_In Earth orbit now, we watch as it detonates on the very doorstep of the planet it sought. This is not an ending, but a reprieve. Data and I know the mind we met, and know the Borg will be back._


End file.
